After a fire incident on Penang Hill, which took nearly six hours to put out, the local council is monitoring the area for illegal land-clearing and related matters.
At a press conference in Komtar today, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow (photo) said the Penang Island City Council have reported that there were many land-clearing activities which were unauthorised.
"Some cases were hauled up to court but the fines were low and were not a strong deterrent to ensure no repeat of unwanted incidents," Chow said.
"As for open burning, the situation is challenging as they are caused by small scale incidents.
"These include farmers clearing small plots of land for agricultural activities," he added.
"Some farmers feel they have the right to clear the land as they are the landowners."
Chow reminded these people that approval from the authorities was necessary if their activities "changed the land".
He also cautioned farmers to ensure their activities do not create drainage or erosion problems," he added.
Chow also noted that many are conducting these activities without the knowledge of the authorities.
Most areas on the hill are privately owned and they do not hold temporary occupation licences (TOL).
The TOL is a type of lease given by the state to occupiers of state land.
Last night, about 2ha of the Penang Hill range was engulfed by fire following a slash and burn activity by farmers.
Chow expressed gratitude to the firefighters, saying despite the arduous tasks, they have carried out a job well done. - Mkini
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