ThERE will be no waiver of royalties for any firm involved in sand mining, even government- linked companies, says Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari (pic).
Responding to a question from Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali (PN-Hulu Kelang) on whether Landasan Lumayan Sdn Bhd (LLSB) was exempted from paying royalties for extracting and selling sand from Sungai Klang, Amirudin said there was no record of the company ever applying for royalty exemption.
LLSB is a subsidiary of Menteri Besar Selangor Incorporated responsible for the rejuvenation of Sungai Klang.
“In fact, they have paid up to RM180,000 in royalties and RM15,854 in toll fees.
“This brings the total sum to RM195,894,” Amirudin added.
He said sand made up only a small percentage of the yield from LLSB’s cleaning project with larger yields coming from mud and rubbish.
He further added that as it was LLSB who started the cleaning programme, it was rightly required to see the process through to the end.
During the oral question and answer session, Azmin also pointed out that in addition to LLSB, private tin mining company KL Larut, when renewing its lease with Selangor Director of Land and Mines (PTGS) in 2020, was given a permit to mine sand on 424ha of state land in Bestari Jaya, Kuala Selangor, until 2030.
“By right, only Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd (KSSB) is allowed to carry out sand mining on state land. I urge the state government to reevaluate its decision on the private firm.
“My concern is whether a private company will take responsibility for any problems that may arise in the future once it has ceased mining in the area,” said Azmin.
Amirudin said the permit was given after considering KL Larut’s experience and track record.
“The decision was also based on justification by PTGS on the need to expedite construction of hybrid off-river augmentation system ponds,” he said.
With the exception of these two companies, Amirudin stressed that only KSSB would be allowed to mine sand from state land.
