KOTA BARU: Seven landowners in Kelantan have been fined by the Department of Environment (DOE) for open burning.
State DOE director, Wan Aminordin Wan Kamaruddin, said that each of them received a fine of RM2,000, resulting in a total of RM14,000 in fines.
He said that these fines were issued from early January until today in several districts across Kelantan.
"Earlier, the DOE conducted awareness talks throughout the state, including at mosques before Friday prayers, particularly in hotspot areas like Bachok and Pasir Puteh," he told Bernama today.
According to him, any individual found guilty of open burning under Section 29A of the Environmental Quality Act (EQA) (Amendment) 2024 can be fined not less than RM25,000 and not exceeding RM1 million, or face imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years, or both.
Wan Aminordin added that the DOE enforced the EQA (Amendment) 2024 on July 7, marking the first phase of amendments to the EQA 1974, focusing on increasing the values of fines, penalties and imprisonment. – BERNAMA