KOTA BARU: The success achieved by using drones to curb land enroachment has prompted the Kelantan government to extend the use of the devices to even more departments.
State secretary Datuk Mohd Faudzi Che Mamat said the drones, fitted with infrared cameras, were previously only used by enforcement officers from the Forestry Department.
However since the middle of last year, the state government has decided to extend the use of drones to other departments such as the Land and Mines district offices.
"We believe the enforcement activities will be even more effective with the use of drones.
"Apart from checking to ensure that forests are not being destroyed by land encroachment, drones can also be used to monitor logging activities and prevent illegal logging," he said.
Mohd Faudzi said the state government hoped that the use of drones can also help increase its land revenue collection in the coming years.
"For instead, Land and Mine offices throughout the state collected RM295.53 million last year, an 85 per cent increase compared to RM159.99 million collected in 2016.
"It (land revenue) was the top in the revenue category collected last year, with land premium contributing the biggest amount," he said.
Although land premium was only a `one-off' collection, Mohd Faudzi said the state government felt that it was important as it would help to add to the overall land revenue collection.
