Companies mining bauxite have yet to receive notification to stop extracting the ore in Pahang.
An executive in one company said they are in the dark over the issue due to the conflicting press reports on the need to halt mining for up to three months.
“We are confused but until now we have yet to be informed about this,” said the official, who did not want his name or company to be identified.
He admitted the need for bauxite mining to be regulated as there were too many illegal exporters.
Officially, Pahang revoked the mining licences of 34 contractors in July, leaving only 11 operators.
But he said some operators had sub-leased their licences.
“I cannot put a figure on how many mines there are. There are just too many,” he said.
But he said an outright ban was unfair and not the solution.
He pointed out that many smallholders and villagers were cashing in by allowing operators to mine bauxite on their land.
“It’s like durian runtuh (a windfall) for them,” he said.
Instead, he suggested that the authorities strictly regulate the industry.
Another company representative said the so-called ill effects of bauxite mining had been blown out of proportion.
He said absurd claims had been made about mercury poisoning or that bauxite is radioactive. – thestaronline
