GEORGE TOWN, Oct 25 — The absence of quarry rules in Penang did not mean such activities went uncontrolled, said state executive councillor Datuk Abdul Malik Abul Kassim.
The mineral materials committee chairman clarified that there were laws to control quarrying activities in the state, such as those under the local government, the minerals and geoscience department, and the Land and Mines Department.
“So it is wrong for the natural resources and environment minister to say that the lack of quarry rules will affect efforts to control quarrying activities in the state,” he told a press conference in Komtar today.
Abdul Malik was responding to Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar’s remark yesterday that Penang has not gazetted any quarry rules to control and manage quarrying activities in the state.
Wan Junaidi also accused the Penang state government hiding this fact along with many things it has allegedly not done.
“Quarrying activities in the state are controlled and managed under the guidelines and laws of the agencies I mentioned, “ Abdul Malik stressed today.
He added that this meant enforcement and laws on quarrying activities are under the purview of the local government, minerals and geoscience department and the land and mines department.
The state has not gazetted the quarry rules as efforts are underway by all state governments to standardise the rules and laws for quarrying activities, he explained.
Wan Junaidi took the Penang state government to task yesterday over the deadly landslide incident in Tanjung Bungah on Saturday that killed 11 workers.
He previously said the Department of Environment (DoE) did not support the approval of a development project at the site due to its vicinity to a quarry site.
Yesterday, he further said that development projects should not be approved within a 600m radius of a quarry site.
