The cleaning bill for the government's clean-up of Kuantan will be sent to firms involved in bauxite mining, Local Government, Housing and Urban Well-being Minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan said.

However, identifying these companies will not be easy.

"Identifying these companies is not easy because most of them use illegally-registered lorries. However, we will still track down these companies so that they will pay for the cleaning bill.

"The cost for the clean-up has yet to be determined because the operation is still in the early stages," Rahman told Utusan Malaysia yesterday.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had on Wednesday ordered Rahman's ministry to clean up the mess created by bauxite mining in Kuantan.

Kuantan had been caked in red dust, turning it into a Mars-like environment, due to the rampant bauxite mining activities.

Meanwhile, Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh ridiculed Rahman for saying it would take time to find the companies involved.

"His answer is so pathetic. Don't tell me a minister can't find them," Fuziah told Malaysiakini .

She has posted on her Facebook page a list of firms allegedly involved in the mining at Felda Bukit Goh.

Malaysiakini understands that the list has also been sent to Rahman's aide for the minister's viewing.