CityNews – Chiang Mai is forming a committee to work on find solutions to ‘The Scar of Doi Suthep’ while hoping to execute a land survey this week.
After the ongoing dispute between the Court of Appeals Region 5 and Chiang Mai people regarding the contentious judicial houses being built on the side of Doi Suthep was concluded by the Office of the Prime Minister recently, the next step is to carry out a land survey.
On May 7th, one day after the decision was made to return the land to the forest, another meeting was held to discuss the next steps, with the deputy governor overseeing the meeting. Representatives from the anti-judicial housing network attended the meeting along with relevant authorities to discuss restoring the forest and carrying out a land survey.
A new committee is being set up to manage the case, led by the governor of Chiang Mai and the 3rd area commander, with memebers separated into working groups such as the forest restoration group and a group to deal with the buildings in the area.
Chiang Mai Provincial Office of Natural Resources and Environment has been put in charge of setting up the committee.
A land survey is scheduled to take place on May 10th to pinpoint the exact boundaries of the area. The operation, however, must first receive permission to access the area from the Court of Appeal Region 5.
Tree planting is scheduled to start on May 27th. The plan is to first plant a pilot batch of vetiver grass to prevent mudslides. The process in returning the land from the Court of Appeal Region 5 to the Treasury Department is estimated to be finalised around July, after the construction has finished.
The working group will also open a public conversation seeking legal solution on the buildings that remain in the area.