Malaysia’s green minister vows to wipe out all illegal factories in Pasir Gudang within month

Fire and Rescue Department personnel come to the aid of a student at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Tanjung Puteri Resort in Pasir Gudang June 24, 2019. — Bernama pic. Sketched by the Pan Pacific Agency.

KUALA LUMPUR, Jul 4, 2019, MalayMail. The government has placed illegal factories in Pasir Gudang, Johor in its sights, said Yeo Bee Yin who is aiming to shut them all down in a joint operation this month, reported the MalayMail.

Energy, Science, Technology, Environment, And Climate Change (Mestecc) Minister Yeo told Parliament during Question Time this morning that she will also engage the Johor government over the bid.

“Mestecc will continue doing its best to improve whatever it can in Pasir Gudang. I go down there once a week to make sure whatever can be done is being done. Today I will also see the Johor MB to target illegal factories.

“This month we will conduct a joint operation to shut down all illegal factories in Pasir Gudang.

“I would like the public to report to the Environment Department if they have any information on illegal factories so we can shut them down,” said Yeo who was replying to an additional question by Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim.

Earlier, he asserted that the second round of air pollution to hit his constituency was due to weak enforcement by the previous and current administrations.

However, Yeo explained that since the Sungai Kim Kim pollution that caused thousands to be hospitalised and more than a hundred schools to temporarily close, enforcement has risen sharply.

“After the Sungai Kim Kim incident, enforcement operations have increased 300 per cent, including inspections and enforcement operations by the Environment Department.

“And if you compare between the period of January to June 2019 and the same period last year, there has been a 40 per cent increase in enforcement and inspection operations,” she said.

Share it


Exclusive: Beyond the Covid-19 world's coverage