KUANTAN, Aug 30 — The Pahang government will step up enforcement against activities involving mineral resources to ensure that all such operations comply with the law.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail said the state government would also not compromise with any party that disregards the stipulated licence, permit and approval requirements.
“Enforcement will continue to be strengthened from time to time, including through the use of monitoring and intelligence technology, to ensure that the state’s mineral resources are managed in an orderly and responsible manner and in accordance with the law,” he said in a statement.
Wan Rosdy also said that he had ordered a comprehensive investigation into the transportation of minerals suspected to be iron ore in Raub yesterday.
He said intelligence efforts, including drone surveillance, detected three trailers suspected of transporting minerals out of the mining area before they were stopped for inspection by the Pahang Enforcement Unit (UPNP).
“We found that the drivers produced Form 13D and Delivery Orders (DOs) from approvals for other areas for the purpose of transporting the minerals,” he said.
Further inspection found that the mineral stockpile location indicated by the drivers was outside the permitted mining area specified in the documents produced.
“Enforcement personnel also found that the stockpile was located in an area with a temporary occupation licence, and all three drivers failed to produce valid documents or approvals relating to the location,” he said.
Following this, he said enforcement personnel detained the three drivers to assist in the investigation and seized three trailers believed to have been used to transport the minerals.
“The three individuals detained were taken to the Bentong district police headquarters (IPD) and subsequently released on police bail, while the three seized vehicles were taken to the UPNP Central Pahang Zone seizure site in Temerloh,” he said.
The seizures and arrests were carried out under Section 137 of the Pahang State Mineral Enactment 2001, while offences relating to information and breaches of terms or conditions are being investigated under Sections 159 and 165 of the same law. — Bernama
