KOTA BHARU, Jan 5 — The Kelantan government is opening up new opportunities for the people, especially the low-income group and irregular workers, to increase their daily income through manual gold panning activities when official licence applications are opened on January 1.

The move is seen as a balanced effort by the state government in helping the economy of the people, while also ensuring that gold panning activities are carried out in a controlled, safe and environmentally friendly manner.

Kelantan Land and Mines director, Nik Raisnan Daud said the current gold price in the market is around 918 riyals (approximately RM565.77 per gramme) for 916 gold, with the possibility of fluctuations of up to 100 riyals.

“The state government is of the view that the small-scale panners are still able to participate in this activity, especially those who depend on daily income and irregular jobs,” he told Bernama recently.

He said the safety of the people and the well-being of the local community are priorities when the state government plans to gazette certain areas to ensure that gold panning activities are carried out in a controlled manner without affecting villagers.

Nik Raisnan said the main condition is that gold panning activities are only allowed manually without the use of large-scale machines to avoid the risk of environmental damage and threat to safety.

According to him, the number of applications received so far was encouraging, but each application would be scrutinised according to the conditions set, with priority given to the less fortunate in an effort to help them increase their income legally.

Meanwhile, gold panner, Ramzu Zaman Yusuf, 52, welcomed the state government’s move to open up opportunities for the local community to carry out manual gold panning activities.

Ramzu who is also a campsite operator in Gunung Reng, Jeli, said the opportunity would greatly benefit the people of Kelantan, especially the low-income group.

“I intend to submit an official application to the state PTG this week. With a licence, work is more controlled and legal, in addition to facilitating state government monitoring. The people are also not afraid to continue panning activities,” he said.

Meanwhile, the operator of a rest area in Jeli, Ahmad Fauzan Mohd Zain, 48, who has submitted an application for a gold panning licence, is now awaiting approval and further conditions following the introduction of the licence for the first time by the state government.

He said the application form was submitted last Thursday, but so far the state government has only issued a basic form, while the conditions relating to the site, area and method of implementation have not yet been finalised.

“A gold panning licence involves a payment of RM100 for the application and RM100 after approval. However, this activity is only allowed on a small scale and is subject to additional conditions according to current needs because it is different from the mining licence that has been introduced long before,” he said.

According to him, applicants now need to wait for further announcements including the determination of the panning area, the type of equipment allowed and the enforcement method, with the state government expected to detail the matter in the near future.

He said that although subject to the conditions and fees, gold panners are still interested in applying for a licence to ensure that the activity is carried out legally and in an orderly manner. — Bernama