ISKANDAR PUTERI: Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin said local authorities should be more efficient in identifying business operators who abuse their licences to carry out illegal gambling activities.
“Based on the law, they should not and cannot use the premises for gambling activities, but there are ways for them to do so.
“So, I want the enforcement division to be more alert and effective in identifying the premises concerned,” she said here today.
Present were State Local Government, Science and Technology Committee chairman Tan Hong Pin and the Housing and Local Government Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Mohammad Mentek.
Zuraida said the police and the local government authorities should also be more firm in enforcing the law.
Meanwhile in JOHOR BARU, Zuraida said the ministry will allocate a RM35 million grant as critical allowance to Fire and Rescue Department personnel.
She said the paper on the matter would be tabled in a Cabinet meeting next week for approval and if the green light is given it would benefit some 13,000 Fire and Rescue department personnel nationwide.
"In principle we are agreeable, it’s just that at the moment we are looking into the economic and financial crisis faced by the nation.
"However, we have already come up with a solution to provide for the fireman through savings made in the ministry,” she said after opening the Ulu Tiram Volunteer Fire Station here.
Also present were Tebrau Member of Parliament, Steven Choong and Johor Fire and Rescue Department Director, Othman Abdullah.
Zuraida, said each fireman is expected to receive the RM250 critical allowance every month.
She said the allowance was for the dangerous risk undertaken by the fire and rescue department personnel during times of disaster and emergencies.
Zuraida also encouraged more people to set-up volunteer firefighting teams in their respective areas to tackle emergency as well as fire and rescue tasks.
"With volunteer teams, we can speed up the response time in helping out in emergency cases, while waiting for the firemen to arrive,” said Zuraida.
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