Selangor lists illegal sand mining sites, vows action

PETALING JAYA, June 10 — The Selangor government has identified the land owners where illegal sand mining operations have been taking place at four sites in  Old Klang Road and Puchong and will seize the land from them.

Investigations by the Petaling District and Land office also revealed that sand was brought in to those sites from various parts of Kuala Lumpur and from MRT project sites.

According to the Land Office, the land owners and operators were:

Taman Perindustrian Puchong

Land owner — Glomac Sdn Bhd.

Operator      — Weng Keong Earth Work

                            Construction Sdn Bhd.

Status          — Permit yet to be approved by Selangor sand mining concessionaire Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd (KSSB).

Taman Puchong Prima

Land owner — Damai Kemuning Sdn Bhd.

Operator      — KSSB.

Status          — Permit to keep stockpile of sand not extended. (KSSB pulled out from the site after finding out Damai Kemuning had conducted sand mining operations which went against their permit to only store sand.)

Taman Kinrara Puchong

Land owner — Millennium Sdn Bhd. Operator      — Sin Tat Hardware.

Status          — Permit yet to be approved by KSSB.

Taman Sri Manja, Old Klang Road

Land owner — Susunan Baru Sdn Bhd. Operator      — Sin Tat Hardware.

Status          — Did not apply any permit to conduct sand mining activities

A copy of the report, signed by assistant district officer (enforcement) Farid Shaharir, was obtained by Malay Mail.

Farid said investigations revealed illegal sand mining and sand washing activities were carried out at those sites.

“We also found that the operators brought in unprocessed sand from various parts of Kuala Lumpur and MRT project sites to be washed and stockpiled,” he said.

“The Land Office is monitoring the areas and is ready to seize the land from the owners, and the equipment from the operators, to stop these activities once an for all.”

Farid said the Land Office was serious in combating illegal sand extraction in the district.

Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim had instructed the Selangor Land and Mines Department and the District Office last week to act against the operators and land owners following Malay Mail’s report on the illegal sand mining activities onJune 3.

Sand mining activities at the four sites had been going on without proper approval for the past two years.

Malay Mail visited the sites again yesterday and found them to still be in operation.

A representative from Susunan Baru said the company was unaware of any illegal operations taking plac on its land and promised to look into the matter. Efforts to contact the other land owners were not successful.