Operators happy ban lifted on sand, gravel extraction
by Jane Moh,reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on July 20, 2011, Wednesday
BACK TO WORK: Sand and gravel extraction back to normal after Magna Focus Sdn Bhd was handed back its licence yesterday.
SIBU: The plight of sand and gravel extraction operators is over with the lifting of licence suspension on Magna Focus Sdn Bhd (MFSB) yesterday.
Speaking to The Borneo Post when contacted yesterday, Sand and Gravel Extracting Sub Committee Sarawak secretary Adams Tang said they received a fax from MFSB to resume activity yesterday afternoon.
“I am very happy indeed that the issue had been resolved and we can resume our extraction of sand and gravel,” he enthused.
Last week, members of the association voiced their grievances as they could not carry out their work after MFSB’s licence was suspended for failing to submit an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report since 2010.
MFSB which was licensed to extract sand and gravel engages sub-contractors for the extraction.
The sub-contractors had stopped extracting sand and gravel even though their MFSB-issued permits only expire in November this year.
The association had worried that with the supply of sand to Kuching and Bintulu halted, they would run out of sand this week should the issue remain unresolved.
Sibu accounts for about 60 per cent of the sand supplied to Kuching and 80 per cent of that to Bintulu.
