07/09/2020 07:15 PM
RAWANG, Sept 7 -- The factory believed to be involved in the Sungai Gong water pollution incident was found to have been operating without a license since 2014, the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) said today.
MPS corporate department director Mohamad Zin Masoad said data also showed that the factory had never applied for a license since it started operating six years ago.
“We have issued the latest notice to them in March but they ignored it. Besides operating without a license, we also found that the factory was built without MPS permission,” he said after putting up an illegal structure notice at the factory here, today.
Mohamad Zin said the factory, which repairs heavy machinery, was among 308 found to have been operating illegally in areas under MPS jurisdiction.
He said all of the factories were placed in the legalisation process list and were given time until Dec 31, 2020, to submit documentation so that operation permits could be issued to them.
“According to the state government’s directive, we cannot demolish the plants under the legalisation process (introduced in 2012 and extended until Dec 31, 2020). They were on the list for us to assist them to get operation permits and licenses.
“We had issued the building construction notice in 2014 and the factory operators should have come to the MPS to claim or obtain approval for business and building licenses. Since they are in the legalisation process list, we give them a chance to come to us,” said Mohamad Zin.
Earlier, the MPS had put up a notice on the entrance door of the factory under Section 70(1) of the Road, Drainage and Building Act 1974 for erecting a building without written permission from the council.
According to the act, the factory operator is given three days beginning today to submit a plan for approval or face demolition by the MPS.
About five million people on Klang Valley and Selangor were hit with unscheduled water disruption since Thursday following oil pollution from the factory which forced the Sungai Selangor Phase 1, 2, 3 and Rantau Panjang Water Treatment Plants to stop operations.
-- BERNAMA
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