SHAH ALAM, July 13 — The Selangor government is demanding an apology from four newspapers that reported an ‘illegal’ sand mine in Dengkil that was affecting the Paya Indah Wetlands.

State executive councillor Yaakob Sapari said today that the mine at Kampung Bukit Changgang was legal and approved by the state government.

“We are giving these newspapers an opportunity to apologise before we take legal action,” said Yaakob, who was speaking in the state assembly.

Yaakob named Utusan Malaysia, The Star, Sinar Harian and Berita Harian.

He said an Environmental Impact Assessment was carried out by the Department of Environment before the mine was approved.

Yesterday it was reported that 130 hectares of land had been cleared and RM220 million worth of sand was excavated illegally in just a fortnight from the site.

The reports also alleged that the sand mine had left a 20 hectare wide crater that was threatening the wetlands.

But the state has denied the allegations and claimed that only RM400,000 worth of sand had been removed from the mine so far.

Earlier today Yaakob also denied the excavated site was a big issue.

“I don’t see the problem,” he told The Malaysian Insider.

He said the site would eventually fill up with water and can be turned into a lake for recreation or aquaculture.

He cited the Mines Resort in Sungai Besi as an example of former mining land being put to good use.

“When I was a child the site was an open cast mine which was hundreds of feet deep, but today it is a lake,” he said.

Claims about the illegal sand mine and sand mining in Selangor have dominated debates in the state assembly over the past two days.

BN assemblymen have been attacking on Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim’s administration and state sand mining subsidiary — Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd — which oversees sand mining in Selangor.