SHAH ALAM, July 28 — Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim mocked Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo today, calling him a retired sand-miner, even as Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) continued their relentless campaign to discredit the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) administration.

“Khir Toyo knows every detail of what’s going on. I think he must be in the business before, mostly in the illegal one,” Khalid told reporters when asked about the latest spate of allegations made by the state opposition leader about rampant and illegal sand-mining activities in the state.

“I don’t want to comment on the retired sand miner,” he said dismissively.

Dr Khir (picture) was the former mentri besar of the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) administration in Selangor.

PR leaders have claimed that rampant sand mining is a problem inherited from Dr Khir’s government.

The Selangor state government has been under pressure since Umno leaders began accusing the state of mismanagement and suggesting that Khalid was a weak leader because he had done nothing to stop illegal sand mining.

Newspapers and television stations owned by Umno have been highlighting claims by state BN leaders about illegal sand mines in the state.

While the state government has acknowledged the existence of illegal activities, the administration has also pointed out that only federal authorities have prosecution powers.

Khalid’s government claimed it had made more than 40 police reports since last year.

In his latest allegations, Dr Khir said that mining activity in Batang Berjuntai had caused part of Sungai Selangor to be polluted by sludge and silt.

Dr Khir had also recently alleged that sand was being illegally mined in Dengkil, about 50m from two lakes within the Paya Indah Wetlands and Rasa in Hulu Selangor.

However, it was subsequently shown that the Dengkil mining operation was legal and an environmental impact assessment had been carried out.