Right to send Bomba to clean bauxite mess: Minister

‎PUTRAJAYA: ‎Local Government, Housing and Urban Well-being Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan has defended the government decision to deploy Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) personnel to clean up the red mess due to illegal bauxite activities in Kuantan.
He said the authorities had to react promptly to assist Kuantan residents and could not afford to see the bauxite mess exist any longer due to safety and environmental concerns.
"Bomba is there to serve the people and so the department had to act fast following the prime minister's concern," he said after the handing over ceremony of equipment to Fire and Rescue Department today afternoon.
Abdul Rahman also defended his statement that the ministry would need to identify the illegal miners first before issuing the cleaning up bill.
"We must issue the bill to the correct party and it will take some time as we know they are illegal miners and not registered," he added.
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Abdul Rahman was responding to criticism's by Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh that the government should not have wasted taxpayers money by utilising government machinery to clean up the "Mars" ambiance.‎
At the event, he handed over assets like five amphibious rigid inflatable boats and 47 four-wheel drive vehicles, among others, to the department.