Ministry to charge companies over Lojing environs damage

MACHANG: Eight companies given concessions to develop the Lojing Highlands at Gua Musang will be charged with endangering the environment early next month

The National Resources and Environment Ministry will charge the eight with several counts of polluting the rivers and streams in the area, the ministry's parliamentary secretary Datuk Sazmi Miah said.

He said the investigation papers were completed and the prosecution was now in the midst of fine-tuning the case.

“We needed a long time to build up a case against the errant companies because we faced all kinds of constraints and implications, as the issue concerned both state and private land,” Sazmi said after opening the Risda “Plantation Day” celebrations at the Air Belaga mini-estate here yesterday.

He added that several officials with the state government, including state executive councillors, could be subpoenaed as witnesses.

On the Pasir Puteh district council, which allegedly ignored a warning from the state department of environment (DOE) to not conduct open burning at its solid waste landfill in Bukit Gedombak, Sazmi said such an incident should not have occurred.

He said the council should have taken a proactive step to protect the environment under its jurisdiction.

If the council was facing difficulty disposing the waste, it should have liased with the DOE or ministry, he said.

In a related development, council secretary Nik Mustapa Nik Hassan claimed he was unaware of the issue of air pollution.

He said the Federal Government was scheduled to take over the management of all landfills and waste disposal sites from the local authorities next year so it should no longer be an issue.

State DOE director Mokhtar Abdul Majid had informed the council to cover up the waste at Bukit Gedombak with sand and to control open-burning activities.