State DoE director Sharifah Zakiah Syed Sahab said the order was issued after it found that the quarrying activities were going on despite the expiry of the environmental impact assessment approval for the operations on Dec 7 last year.

She said the quarry site was supposed to be used for a contour housing project in 1994, but the project was postponed several times.

The housing developer filed an application to operate a quarry at the site in 2013 and approval was given by the state DoE for a three-year period.

Several extensions were granted, the last of which ended last year, Sharifah said in a statement today.

She added that the department could not grant any more extensions for the quarrying activities due to the lack of a buffer zone between the site and the nearest homes.

She said numerous stop-work notices had been issued to the quarry because of complaints from the residents on tremors, dust, noise pollution and flying pieces of rock.

Sharifah also said the department had asked the developer for an environmental management plan.

Failure to do so would indicate that the developer was not interested in carrying out the contour housing project.

The department is preparing an investigation paper to bring the developer and the quarry contractor to court for offences committed under the Environmental Quality Act 1974.

FMT reported last year that the residents of the neighbourhood had complained about the explosions and tremors from the quarry site. These had caused cracks in the roof tiles, walls and floors of their houses.