GE13: BN candidates allege that vacant plots in Serdang being used illegally

The Star, Saturday May 4, 2013

Story and photo by LIM CHIA YING
chiaying@thestar.com.my

Evidence: Yap (left) and Dr Lai showing photos they have taken of open spaces in Serdang that they claim have been misused.

 

SEVERAL open spaces within the Serdang parliamentary constituency have been allegedly misused for other purposes and development, claimed two of its Barisan Nasional candidates.

Barisan Nasional candidate for Serdang Datuk Yap Pian Hon and Balakong Dr Lai Kwong Choy said they had received complaints from residents about this and upon investigating, they came across a large number of misused open spaces in Balakong.

Yap said a circular sent out by the Selangor Land and Mines director in August last year instructed all district land offices as well as the survey and mapping department to stop the sale of government reserve land for land ownership applications and temporary occupational licenses.

He added that a meeting held at the same time, chaired by the Selangor state secretary, had also decided that the sales of land plans which had been allocated as government reserve land must stop.

“The notice is in fact a reminder of a state government meeting in 1992 as mentioned in the circular — that any application for land ownership of public spaces must be rejected outright without further processing,” said Yap.

“I would like to ask the caretaker Selangor government how the open spaces could be leased out?

“In Taman Kajang Mewah, for instance, the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) has built a signboard last July informing of an application for nursery activities on a plot of open space.

“So why are local councils, in this case MPKj, contravening the circular?

“I hope the Pakatan government would do some serious investigations and answer the people.”

Dr Lai said another plot of land in Taman Taming Jaya, Balakong, which was an open space, has been cordoned off since last year with zinc fencing, leaving just the basketball court intact.

“We learnt that the cordoned area is occupied by factories and workshops, causing pollution to the residents’ homes that are close by.

“The residents have lost whatever little green space for them to use for their recreational activities.

“The Pakatan-led Selangor government must explain why such things have been allowed to happen.

“In fact, Balakong itself has very little green spaces left with so much industries sprouting up everywhere,” said Dr Lai, adding that two other examples of ‘occupied’ open spaces are located in Bukit Belimbing and Taman Juara Jaya, Balakong.

When contacted, Balakong DAP candidate Eddie Ng Tien Chee, who is also an MPKj councillor, said all of the above-mentioned ‘open’ spaces belonged to the council and not the state.

“Therefore, there isn’t any violations as alleged. Also, Yap should know not all vacant lands are necessarily open spaces,” said Ng.

He added that under the state government’s guidelines, open spaces can be used for agriculture as it was also a form of greenery.

“In the above-mentioned cases, the land was leased out by MPKj to food stalls and the rental revenue goes back to the council. The one in Taman Taming Jaya, for example, has a hall and badminton court but no factory, but it does raise the issue of whether some of these tenants have complied with our regulations and we need to investigate this.”