The government is finalising amendments to rail transport laws that could raise the maximum fine for railway cable theft from RM1,000 to RM100,000 for each offence, Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Hasbi Habibollah said.
According to Bernama, the proposed amendment is expected to be tabled in the next Parliament session, as authorities move to curb theft that has caused an estimated RM50 million in losses across Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd, Prasarana Malaysia Bhd and the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project.
“We will amend this law to reach RM100,000 for each offence… currently in the process, 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 during a question-and-answer session at the Dewan Negara.
Hasbi said the existing penalty was too lenient given the damage and disruption cable theft can cause to railway operations.
Along the ECRL project alone, 71 cable theft cases resulted in estimated losses of RM4.06 million while 13 cases involving theft and damage to equipment and other materials caused another RM690,000 in losses.
“This brings the total loss to RM4.75 million. Although the ECRL is still in the construction phase and has not yet involved travel disruptions for users, the incident has the potential to affect the project implementation schedule, including installation, testing, commissioning and operational preparations,” he said.
The government is also installing 1,146 CCTV cameras along railway lines from Johor to northern Malaysia, while KTMB has acquired 20 scrambler motorcycles for Auxiliary Police patrols alongside secured manholes and K9 units.
