Zone 4 residents want service centre
KAJANG: Residents of a section of Bandar Sungai Long claimed their rights have been neglected by the Kajang Municipal Council's (MPKj) appointed councillor for the area in the last three years. A group of residents claim that the councillor appointed for Zone 4 of the municipality has not set up a service centre, which makes it difficult for them to lodge complaints.
Issues such as indiscriminate dumping of rubbish, flash floods, abandoned cars, overgrown grass and trees and illegal buntings have plagued the area in the last few years but little has been done to remedy the situation although complaints were lodged with the council.
Chow Loy Fook, 50, a long time resident of Section 9, here, said: "There has been no representation shown by the councillor as she has no presence here."
He said since the councillor took office in 2008, she had not set up an office here because she claims the rental in Section 11, where the majority of the problems lie, was too high.
Chow said this was a poor excuse as about half of the shop apartments at a business centre in Jalan SL 11/9 were vacant and the rental for a first floor unit would not exceed RM500 per month.
He said every councillor was paid RM1,750 per month to operate a service centre in the respective zones. They are also paid to hire full-time staff to man the centre. Zone 4 was the only zone in the municipality without a service centre.
"The councillor received RM15,000 to cater for the welfare of the residents here and RM100,000 for expenditure on infrastructure every year, which has not been used effectively in the zone."
William Lim, 50, who has lived in Section 9 for 25 years, said: "The whole area is poorly maintained. The area is fast developing with many affluent housing schemes here but rubbish is strewn all over the place and the banks of a river (which is surrounded by houses and shops) here looks like a jungle.
"Clearly, the councillor has not even visited the zone as these problems have persisted for too long. Only when we complain to the council that the overgrown trees and grass are cut, but this occurs once in six months."
He said the overgrown shrubs at many junctions were dangerous for motorists daily as they block their view of oncoming traffic.
MPKj has 24 zones under its jurisdiction with a councillor in charge of each zone.
The residents here claim that the Zone 4 councillor has set up her service centre in Zone 6, which is located some 5km away.
They complain that there were two service centres in Zone 6 in Bandar Mahkota Cheras, which were a stone's throw away from each other.
Zone 4 covers Taman Cheras Vista, Palm Walk, Bandar Mahkota Cheras (Sections 4, 5, 6, 7 and 10), Bandar Sungai Long (Sections 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12).
Asked to comment on the matter, MPKj Zone 4 councillor Lee Kee Hiong said she had obtained approval from the council to set up a service centre in Bandar Mahkota Cheras in November 2008 to cover Zone 4.
"At the time there were no vacant lots in the business centre in Jalan SL 11/9.
"The majority of them were occupied by students from Universiti Tuanku Abdul Rahman, which was recently relocated in Kampar. The rental cost at the time for a ground floor unit was RM2,800 per month, which was beyond the allocated amount.
"It would be a waste of funds if I relocate now as I have signed the tenancy agreement for my present service centre which expires at the end of the year, not to mention the additional renovation and moving costs."
Lee said her service centre in Jalan Temenggung in Bandar Mahkota Cheras was not too far away for residents to lodge complaints, and she had a good rapport with the local residents' associations here.
On the problems of flash floods she said the matter was being monitored by the council's engineering department as the floods occurred at the end of Jalan SL 11/9, an area that was being developed for housing.
Lee said: "Matters pertaining to indiscriminate dumping of rubbish and illegal buntings are checked every Friday by the council's enforcement department.
"The claims made by the residents were politically motivated and unfounded."
MPKj head of communications Shariman Mohd Nor said there were no plans to relocate Lee's service centre as Zones 4 and Zone 6 are side by side with connecting roads.
The distance to the service centre is about 5km and "transport was not a problem".
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