KLANG: An illegal plastic processing factory which was still operational despite being sealed five times by the Klang Municipal Council (MPK) was finally paralysed when the power supply to the premises was cut today.
The approval to cut the power was the first received by MPK from the Energy Commission of Malaysia and it was carried out with the co-operation of a team of Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) personnel from Port Klang in an integrated operation on the factory in the Air Hitam Industrial Area.
A Bernama check at the two buildings of the factory found that it was last sealed on Wednesday but was still illegally processing numerous types of used plastic bags which were believed to have been imported from Japan, Europe and China.
However, in the integrated operation at about 9.30am today, the workers at the factory were found to have fled.
MPK licensing deputy director, Mohd Fahrulisa Mohd Isa said that the factory which used the name ‘Opes Plastic Industry’ was believed to have been operating since four years ago and it was one of six illegal plastic factories in the same area which were still obstinately continuing their operations despite being sealed and issued notices prior to this.
He said that five more illegal plastic factories in the same area were no longer operational thus far after being sealed by the MPK enforcement personnel in several raids prior to this but were still being monitored.
‘’This factory has never been given a licence by MPK, in fact, a show cause notice had also been issued to the owner of the premises. We also received many complaints about the factory from residents and other factory operators in the area as it was still operating.
‘’But the owner of the premises did not make any follow up action and did not stop operations. As such, MPK was forced to take drastic action by cutting the power supply to paralyse the operations of the factory without delay,’’ he told reporters after the integrated operation here today.
Mohd Fahrulisa said that the factory owner, who was believed to be a local, had also been issued a notice and was set to face court action soon.
In the meantime, he said MPK was in the process of sealing and shutting down altogether 31 more illegal plastic factories which were detected to be still operating in the district.
He said that a committee set up prior to this would continue to focus on the illegal factories by prioritising premises in Telok Gong, Pulau Indah and the Air Hitam Industrial Area. — Bernama
