Perak To Step Up Patrols Over Government Land Encroachment

IPOH, April 21 (Bernama) -- The Perak State Government will take appropriate action, including increasing patrol by enforcement personnel, to tackle encroachment on government land, the state legislative assembly was told today.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said existing laws are sufficient to penalise those found guilty of encroaching on government land, particularly in environmentally sensitive areas, with offenders liable to prosecution and, if convicted, fines or imprisonment.

“However, laws without enforcement will lead to non-compliance. Therefore, the state government is fully committed to ensuring enforcement officers are able to carry out their duties effectively.

“These measures include increasing patrol, and if manpower is insufficient, we will explore ways to increase personnel,” he said when replying to a supplementary question from Datuk Shahrul Zaman Yahya (BN-Rungkup).

Earlier, Saarani said encroachment in forest reserve areas would be dealt with under the National Forestry Act 1984.

He said one example of enforcement action was in Bagan Datuk on Sept 30, 2024, when a large-scale operation involving multiple agencies was carried out in Kampung Sungai Lanchang to curb the illegal construction of an 8.093-hectare shrimp pond.

Saarani added that continuous monitoring is being carried out in the mangrove forest reserve to ensure no new encroachment occurs.

-- BERNAMA