Pahang: A state assemblyman has urged the Pahang government to form a special committee to examine and address the issue of land encroachment in the state. Tengku Zulpuri Shah Raja Puji (PH-Tras) said the committee could comprise various parties, including former officers of the Land and Mines Office, land experts from higher education institutions, police, lawyers, and religious scholars.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the committee should be given three months to submit a proposed action plan for implementation by the state government. Tengku Zulpuri emphasized that the formation of this special committee is crucial to reviewing the issue and proposing fair solutions. He highlighted the need to stop encroachment and prevent the unattended land from leading to theft of harvestable crops.

He was speaking during the debate on the motion of thanks on the royal address by the Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, in the Pahang State Legislative Assembly. Earlier, the Sultan of Pahang had called for the resolution of the ongoing land encroachment issue, noting that a significant area of state land has been illegally cultivated with various crops.

The Sultan highlighted that 14,494.9 hectares of state land and 5,997.09 hectares of Permanent Forest Reserves have been encroached under the guise of agriculture, which he described as an open theft of state property. Shahril Azman Abd Halim (PN-Jengka) backed the state government's firm action of taking encroachers to court rather than issuing compounds.

Separately, Chan Chun Kuang (PH-Semambu) urged the state government to consider enacting specific legislation to protect the people of Pahang from online fraud. He stated that the state government must take a proactive role in safeguarding its citizens against digital threats.

The sitting will resume tomorrow.