KUALA LUMPUR: The government is finalising amendments to the rail transport law to impose heavier penalties with fines of up to RM100,000 on criminals who trespass and steal cables from national rail facilities.
Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Hasbi Habibollah said the proposal to increase the fine from the current RM1,000 is expected to be tabled in the next Parliament session.
“We will amend this law to reach RM100,000 for each offence... currently in the process and perhaps by the end of this year in the next session, a stricter amendment to the law will be brought to this House,” he said at the Dewan Negara here yesterday, Bernama reported.
He was responding to a question by Senator Datuk Dr Mohd Hatta Md Ramli regarding the government’s mitigation measures to address travel disruptions due to cable theft.
Hasbi said the amendment to the law was urgent as the existing penalties were deemed too lenient compared to the impact of the damage and delays.
The move was driven by a surge in cable theft cases which recorded a total loss of RM50mil across the KTM Bhd network, Prasarana Malaysia and the upcoming East Coast Rail Link project.
