PUTRAJAYA, Dec 4 – At least three companies have been issued with notices concerning the development activities at Lojing Highlands, Gua Musang for contravening the conditions stipulated by the Department of Environment (DOE), said Kelantan State Secretary Datuk Mohd Faudzi Che Mamat.
“The notices were issued following the outcome of a series of integrated enforcement carried out in the area as a result of the reprimands contained in the 3rd Series of the Auditor-General’s 2014 Annual Report (LKAN). The River Enactment 1925 had also been amended by imposing stricter action on land development that can result in river pollution from RM500 to RM100,000,” he said.
He disclosed this when asked on the action taken by the Kelantan state government on the reprimands made in the LKAN at the session between the Chief Secretary to the Government, Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa, and the media which also involved representatives of the Ministries, agencies and the state government.
The 3rd Series of the LKAN 2014 suggested that the Kelantan Land and Minerals Office (PTG) seized the land awarded to estate operators at the Lojing Highlands who contravened the conditions stipulated. According to the report, the audit carried out between last June and September found that in general, the management of highland development activities and their environmental impact in the area was not satisfactory.
In the meantime, it also raised at the session was the conflicting information which was given by the Penang state government and the Auditor-General’s Report on the concerning the issue on the hill clearing and also the highland development in the state.
Penang State Secretary Datuk Seri Farizan Darus said he was aware of the differences and had contacted the representative from the Auditor-General’s Office to discuss and study the actual acreage of land that had been cleared. He said they were told that what was reported in the Auditor-General’s report is that they actually go on a case by case basis so at the moment we are trying to look into the differences and try to reconcile.
The 3rd Series of the LKAN 2014 stated that there were 268 lots of land that were cleared without approval or permission from 2012 until March 16 this year, but the Chairman of the State Committee on Local Government, Traffic and Flood Mitigation, Chow Kon Yeow had said that since 2008 only 72 lots of land were involved. On follow-up action to the audit report, Farizan also said that there were cases that had been taken to court and the state government would not hesitate to take appropriate action if civil servants were involved in the land clearing.
