KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 3 — The Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) document for bauxite mining and export in Pahang is ready to be finalised, said Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr A. Xavier Jayakumar.
He said the ministry together with the Pahang state government would consider the application of the SOP document and determine the effective date.
“The SOP document will then be uploaded on the ministry’s website for reference by all parties concerned,” he said in a statement here today.
He was referring to a report on the online news portal “The Malaysian Insight” on Thursday titled “Ministry SOP delay frustrates bauxite mining operators”, which mentioned, among others, the delay in preparing the SOP for bauxite mining and export activities in Pahang.
Commenting further, Xavier said the SOP, which had taken into account the views of all the stakeholders, imposed strict conditions covering the entire chain of mining activities from pre-, current and post-mining stages.
It is to ensure environmental sustainability, economic prosperity and the well-being of the people, Xavier said.
“The preparation of the document went through a number of processes including the public hearing session on April 14, attended by 519 people and collected 56 verbal and online responses,” he said. — Bernama
