Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Noh Omar wants a win-win solution to be reached between some 400 fishermen and six private jetty owners at Sungai Langat and a steel mill, Megasteel Sdn Bhd.
He gave Megasteel, which is owned by Lion Group, and the jetty owners along Sungai Langat until 9am tomorrow to find solutions to the problems faced by the fishermen.
He gave an ultimatum at a meeting attended by the fishermen, Malaysian Fisheries Development Authority (LKIM) director-general Mohad Khazan Hamzah, Central Region Marine Department director Capt Jailani Jalal and Lion Group general manager Khor Bean Tatt at Kampung Kelanang jetty here today.
If no solution is found by tomorrow morning, Noh said he would propose to the Cabinet at its meeting tomorrow to halt the steel mill’s operation.
Khor said the company would need at least three months to solve the problem.
Jailani said he would study whether the time limit of vessels berthed at the jetties needed to be revised.
Noh said another meeting among the disputed parties would be chaired by LKIM director-general in three months’ time to iron out the problem.
He reminded Megasteel and the six private jetty owners on their corporate social responsibility in alleviating the losses suffered by the fishermen as their activities had badly affected their catch for the past 11 years.
About 100 fishing boats from Kampung Kelanang, Bandar, Permatang Pasir, Tongkah and Pulau Carey anchored across Sungai Langat near the Kampung Kelanang fisherman’s jetty to prevent cargo vessels, tug boats and pontoons from transporting iron along the river since 8am yesterday.
They claimed that the riverside commercial activities had depleted fish resources while buoys placed by the Marine Department as markers for vessels to moor at the jetties damaged their fishing nets.
– Bernama
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