Perak: The Perak State Government will take appropriate action, including increasing patrol by enforcement personnel, to tackle encroachment on government land, the state legislative assembly was told today. Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad stated that existing laws are sufficient to penalize those found guilty of encroaching on government land, particularly in environmentally sensitive areas, with offenders liable to prosecution and, if convicted, fines or imprisonment.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Saarani emphasized that laws without enforcement will lead to non-compliance. The state government is fully committed to ensuring enforcement officers can carry out their duties effectively. These measures include increasing patrol, and if manpower is insufficient, the government will explore ways to increase personnel. This was highlighted in response to a supplementary question from Datuk Shahrul Zaman Yahya (BN-Rungkup).

Earlier, Saarani mentioned that encroachment in forest reserve areas would be addressed under the National Forestry Act 1984. He cited an example of enforcement action in Bagan Datuk on September 30, 2024, when a large-scale operation involving multiple agencies was conducted in Kampung Sungai Lanchang to curb the illegal construction of an 8.093-hectare shrimp pond. Saarani added that continuous monitoring is being carried out in the mangrove forest reserve to ensure no new encroachment occurs.