SHAH ALAM: The freeze on scrap metal licences has been lifted with immediate effect in in the state.

State Local Government, Research and Development Committee chairman Ronnie Liu said the ban was lifted after police recently announced that they would resume giving police permits to scrap metal operators.

He said those who wanted the licence must obtain the police permit before applying to the local authorities.

However, he said only those who operated from industrial lots would be approved.

"We will not allow operations in housing areas, commercial lots or agricultural land," he said after the state executive council meeting here yesterday.
Liu said existing operations would be given until June next year to relocate to industrial lots.

He said converting land status to industry lots would not be allowed, as this was a long process.

Liu said local authorities would step up enforcement to ensure operators did not buy stolen items.

He said meetings were held with scrap metal operators before the decision was reached.

On another issue, he said local authorities were not becoming bankrupt as claimed by state opposition leader Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo.

He said the state government was only providing aid of not more than RM2,000 per month to councillors who did not have a proper office to carry out their work.

Liu said councillors from Shah Alam and Klang were not eligible for this aid as they were provided with office facilities.