NURADILLA NOORAZAM New Straits Times 12 Jul 14;
BANTING: MORE than 300 fishermen here are facing huge financial losses after their monthly catch is slashed by half over the last three months allegedly because of sand mining near their fishing spot.
The sand mining is alleged have breached the terms agreed upon in a contract approved by the Federal Government through the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry in April last year.
The Kuala Langat Fishermen Association, representing the interests of the fishermen, yesterday wrote a plea to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to help resolve the matter.
Its chairman, Mohd Jaman Haris, said the fishermen, who used to haul in around RM1,500 worth of catch per boat monthly, could manage only half of that because of the decline in the number of fishes.
“We strongly believe that the sand mining is causing the problem, as the fish population declined only after the activities began.”
He said the agreement signed between the sand-mining company and the government stipulated that such activities were to be confined to outside Selangor waters.
“If the agreement stated this, why are their boats intruding into our waters?”
He claimed the comings and goings of pontoon boats at the coastal area were worrying, as the fishermen’s boats were damaged when these vessels passed them.
“Efforts to seek compensation from the company responsible for this have been futile,” he said at the association’s headquarters here yesterday.
Jaman said the company issued a RM100,000 cheque to the state Fisheries Department, meant as compensation for the fishermen.
“However, we have yet to receive a single sen from the department while the company continues to mine our sand, thinking that the fishermen are satisfied with the compensation. We are definitely not.
“It is not enough for each fishermen here as our livelihood has been massively affected by the sand-mining.”
Jaman said the association had yet to discuss the matter with state and federal officials.
The association also lodged a police report against the company for allegedly operating in a restricted area.
Sand-mining has been a controversial subject in Selangor, notably after recent allegations of abuse of power and graft in the award of contracts.
Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd, one of the state’s subsidiary companies in charge of sand mining activities and regulations, was recently announced to be among the first state subsidiaries to undergo a reshuffle.
