MACC CLOSED EYES ON SAND DREDGING?

DREDGING….. Anthony Mandiau, Orong Sahap, Hiew and Mohd Aminuddin on the illegal sand dredging site in Sg Kinaron.

By : DAP MEDIA

THE PEOPLE especially land owners in the Kg Rakit, Kota Marudu are very angry about the few companies who are operating illegal sand dredging operation here. They complained to the authorities but were given deft ears without any responds and action taken.

The sand dredging operations in the Sg Kinaron in Kg Rakit had already caused serious and wide area of land collapsing into the river and heavy damages to the surrounding plantations.

According to the people living here, they said these river sand dredging operators are working here without proper licenses and permits. There were three such companies doing the sand dredging here, and the river had become very wide with the banks total damaged. The roads here leading to the plantations are also damaged by the heavy trucks carrying the river sand out from the river side as many as fifty trips per day.

The Pakatan Rakyat team led by the KK MP Hiew King Cheu visited the Sg Kinaron river side to check on one of the un-licensed operators and found that the quantity of river sand taken up from the river bed is so great.

They saw the river bank on both sides of the river had fallen in, and the private plantation land is disappearing fast into the river. The dredging operation has indeed caused immense damages to the surrounding plantation land.

KK MP Hiew spoke to the person in charge on site and found out that they have not received any approval on the sand dredging from the authorities although they have put in their application. Hiew told them to immediately stop all operation on further dredging of the river sand. The people being affected will lodge a formal police report on the event to stop them.

KK MP Hiew said the proper procedure must be followed and no abuses are allowed in any circumstances. If the dredging work here is without a license and seriously affecting someone’s property, this has to be stopped immediate.

Why the authorities here did not do anything about the public complaints? This is a good case for the MACC to investigate into whether there are any malpractices or corrupt practices. The authorities should not say that they didn’t know about this, and closed one eye to let this illegal river sand dredging to go on.

The people in Sabah are having the same feeling that the BN government is definitely falling into pieces and couldn’t manage Sabah any more. This is just a typical case where we can see that there is totally no discipline in the system and little control over the authorities.

The local YBs should have stop this illegal activities happening in their own constituency, and why they just pretend that they did not know. There was an illegal operator being alleged to be connected to one of the BN party here too.

All these illegal sand dredging operation has to be stopped, and we want the government authorities to step in without further delay. Pakatan Rakyat shall be watching on the development of the issue.

- Sabahkini