Selangor To Begin Enforcement Against 68 Illegal Factories In July - Exco

SHAH ALAM, May 23 (Bernama) -- The Selangor government will carry out enforcement action against 68 illegal factories operating for over 20 years on state-owned land in the Klang and Petaling districts, said State Local Government and Tourism Committee chairman Datuk Ng Suee Lim.

He said that the committee decided to conduct enforcement against operators of these illegal factories as they continue to encroach on state land, including road reserves, despite having been issued relocation orders.

He said it is high time the state government took more decisive action to clear the area, as the operations of these factories also contribute to environmental pollution.

"Of the total, 17 premises are classified as unauthorised factories operating in Klang, while the remainder are located in Shah Alam and Petaling, involving various types of businesses, including household glass manufacturing, furniture production, welding, workshops, and heavy machinery storage.

"They have encroached on state land and set up factories without any Temporary Occupation Licence (TOL)," he told reporters after chairing today's meeting of the Selangor Unauthorised Factories standing committee, attended by representatives from local authorities here.

Ng said the state government would not grant ownership status to the factories involved, adding that the operators must vacate the sites for the land to be rehabilitated.

He said that investigations found that none of the factories involved were engaged in illegal waste processing, including electronic waste, and have never faced legal action for environmental pollution.

Meanwhile, Ng said 90 notices under Section 7A of the National Land Code were issued to factory operators for the misuse of agricultural land, adding that approximately 500 more would be issued by July as part of a land regularisation effort with local authorities.

"Although the number of unauthorised factories has shown a downward trend from over 6,000 to 4,170 so far, the state government will not compromise with those who encroach on state land," he added.

-- BERNAMA