Thursday April 30, 2009
Illegal sand-mining still rampant in Selangor
Story and photos by GEETHA KRISHNAN
ILLEGAL sand-mining is rampant in several parts of Selangor, the latest discovery being a site deep inside Bandar Sungai Long at a place called Bukit Enggang.
The excavated area is a 1km drive from the Bandar Sungai Long township through Sections 8 and 11.
The sole entry point is closely guarded by some foreigners on the claim that some plots of land in vicinity are privately owned.
Dusun Tua assemblyman Ismail Sani went to inspect the site on Tuesday morning, but none of the lorries and heavy machinery were in sight although there was ample evidence of recent sand-mining activity in the area.
Larger by the day: Ismail (right) and his special assistant Mohd Yusuf Harun looking at the illegal sand-mining site. “I suspect the operators are lying low for a while because I have requested the Hulu Langat Land Office enforcement team to check out the area the day before,” he said.
Sungai Long community liaison officer Tony Mak, meanwhile, said several sand-laden lorries were spotted using the route between Sungai Long and Desa Budiman via the SMK Bandar Baru Sungai Long as early as 7.30am.
According to Ismail, the other areas where illegal sand-mining was rampant are Bukit Raya, Sungai Serai, Kampung Jaya, Dusun Tua, Sungai Tekali and other sites along Sungai Langat.
“The state government has allowed only one company to mine sand in Selangor but the state had failed to consider the fate of the other operators in the industry,” he said.
Signs of activity: Bukit Enggang in Selangor is another area where illegal sand-mining has been recently uncovered. “There was an understanding between the previous state government and the operators where sand-mining was allowed as contra payment for dredging silt and mud-clogged rivers,” Ismail said.
He urged the state government to speed up the process of issuing more sand-mining permits and asked that the number of permits be increased and not be limited to just five as announced last year.
Ismail said there was increased demand for sand under the economic stimulus package to boost development.
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