(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Ministry of Environment has initiated legal action against a contractor and a resort owner for trying to drill an underground well near Al Khor under cover of the night, without government permission.
The Ministry inspectors spotted a drilling machine mounted on a truck digging at a resort near Al Khor city.
The men at work were caught red-handed late night when drilling was being carried out in the dark, the ministry said in a statement yesterday.
A patrolling team from the Environment Protection Department at the Ministry which passed by the resort late that night noticed the illegal drilling. The machine operator failed to produce the permit for drilling when he was asked to do so, said the ministry.
Both the drilling contractor and the owner of the property will face punishment under the law. The punishment for boring wells without permission is jail for three months to one year and a fine of QR10,000 to QR25,000 or one of them, said the statement.
In case of a repetition of the violation, the fine will be doubled and the drilling permit of the contractor will be suspended for a maximum one year.
The drilling equipment has been confiscated and the operators have been taken into custody. The ministry has registered violations involving the truck driver, owner of the vehicle and the equipment and the resort owner. They have been handed over to Al Khor police for further legal procedures, said the statement.
As per the law, the violators will be responsible for restoring the drilled land to its original status at their expense.
The Ministry has urged the public to report any violation related to environment through the hotline 998.
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