Pencuri kabel rel akan berdepan denda sampai RM100,000

The Deputy Transport Minister, Hasbi Habibollah, disclosed that theft of country's railway infrastructure cables will now face harsher penalties, including fines up to RM100,000, compared to the current RM1,000. The move aims to reflect the severity of the consequences suffered due to train delays and operational disruptions. "We will amend this law to reach RM100,000 per offense, and it is in progress, hopefully to be presented in Parliament next year," Habibollah stated, according to Bernama during the question and answer session of the Dewan Negara.

This comes after a significant rise in cable thefts, totaling RM50 million in losses across KTMB, Prasarana Malaysia Berhad, and ECRL projects. 71 cable thefts were recorded on the ECRL project, amounting to an estimated RM4.06 million in losses, while 13 incidents involving equipment and other damages resulted in a loss of RM0.69 million.

To enhance safety at railway facilities, the government is currently installing 1,146 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras along the tracks from Johor to the northern parts of Malaysia. Additionally, KTMB received 20 scrambler motorbikes for round-the-clock police patrols, along with physical measures such as high-security fences and the use of sniffer dogs.