Kampung Bagan’s jetty is one of the 1,350 in Sungai Besar currently operating without permit or licence. — filepic

JETTIES in 19 fishing villages in Selangor will not be charged RM600 in licence fee a year as yet.

Selangor Local Government, New Village Development and Legalising of Factories Committee chairman Ean Yong Hian Wah said the state had urged the Selangor Water Management Board (Luas) to revise the proposed fee.

“At the recent Selangor Economic Action Council meeting, we decided the fee should be revised so as not to burden fishermen.

“The jetty owners objected to the proposed rate,” he said during a press conference at his office in the Selangor State Secretariat in Shah Alam.

Ean Yong said he expected to receive the new rate from Luas soon and it will be implemented across the board regardless of the size of the jetty.

There are some 1,350 jetties in Kampung Bagan and Kampung Nelayan in Sungai Besar currently operating without permits or licences.

The lack of a proper management system has led to these jetties being built on river reserves and mangrove forest reserves in a haphazard manner.

Imposing a licence fee is a move towards legalising the jetties so that Luas can manage them in the future.

Ean Yong said the state would not impose guidelines for existing structures but new jetties would need to apply for planning approval from the relevant authorities.

He added that there was a need for public jetties to ensure a better system to load and unload the catch as well as provide parking bays and other facilities.