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MELAKA – A secondary aluminium smelting company found to have repeatedly breached regulations on environmental quality control was today fined a total of RM36,000 by the Ayer Keroh sessions court here today for various offences.
Judge Nariman Badruddin meted out the fine on Trimax Metal Sdn Bhd after its representative, human resources officer Lee Chew Fong, 42, pleaded guilty to three charges.
She fined the company RM14,000, in default of four months’ jail, on the first and second charges, and a fine of RM8,000, in default of two months’ jail, for the third charge.
On the first count, the company was charged for building a new source of production without submitting a prior written notification to the director-general of environmental quality.
It involved the building of an air pollution control system, namely installation of one aluminium separator unit and one magnetic separator unit, along with one cooling section unit.
The second charge was for causing material change in the quantity of production from an existing source without the approval of the DG of environmental quality by making changes to the fuel burning device, namely an aluminium smelting furnace unit and two “holding furnace” units at the premises for the secondary aluminium smelting process.
For both charges, the company was charged with violating Regulation 5(1)(d) of the Environmental Quality (Clean Air) Regulations 2014.
On the third count, the company was charged with breaching an order for Equipment Operation Detention issued on July 15, 2021 for a fuel combustion device – involving an aluminium smelting furnace and two holding furnaces – which was suspected of causing air pollution in the area.
In doing so, the company had committed an offence under Section 48AD(b) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974.
All the offences were committed at Jalan TTC 8, Taman Teknologi Cheng, Melaka Tengah between 11am and 12.20pm on September 14, 2021.
According to the facts of the case, an investigation by the Environment Department found that the company had committed repeated offences by failing to submit a written declaration certificate for the air pollution control system.
The prosecution was conducted by a prosecution officer from the Environment Department, Nosora Mohd Jadi.
Meanwhile, Lee, during mitigation, said she was in the process of closing the company’s operations. – Bernama, July 22, 2022