Poor upkeep of facilities Kajang badly needs more parks and fields

This letter was written by Dr Tan Eng Bee and appeared in The Star on Wednesday, 13 July 2011. I think he has written well and probably the matters brought up are also in the minds of many Kajang residents.

Until the next time, cheers.

Letters to The Star - Wednesday, 13 July 2011

Poor upkeep of facilities Kajang badly needs more parks and fields

I WAS born, bred and educated in Kajang, a town not too far away from commercial Kuala Lumpur, our capital Putrajaya, and only 30 minutes from KLIA.

Kajang is an interesting town as it has among the highest concentration of private and public colleges and universities in and around the town.

It is growing in terms of student population.

Strategically located in the ‘Golden Triangle’ of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and KLIA, Kajang has played a significant role as a residential and meeting place for businessmen, students and visitors.

Surely the authorities ought to be paying special attention to ensure proper amenities and infrastructure for Kajang to improve the movement of people, goods and services in an orderly and speedy manner.

But in the midst of massive residential development taking place, public amenities are sadly missing.

The upkeep of the town and infrastructure can be further improved with more parks, playgrounds and fields.

The few we have right now are simply inadequate to meet the needs of the residents.

Stadium Kajang which had its wall torn down not too long ago has more often been occupied by tent stalls selling food and drinks, clothing and domestic goods.

This defeats its intended purpose as a recreation place for people to exercise or just to take their evening walk around the tracks.

In fact, Kajang has not created more parks and fields for its inhabitants except existing ones which are too small to cater to the needs of the population.

It is time for MPKj to consider designating more space as parks and playing fields while more residential areas are being developed to cater for the growing population moving into Kajang.

Kajang is too concrete and it is time to shed that image for more trees to be planted and the creation of parks and playground.

One of the most jammed places is Jalan Besar as buses and taxis stop to pick and drop passengers.

I cannot understand how the main bus station could be located along this busy road where thousands of cars literally plied to and fro from Jalan Besar throughout the day.

With the pending MRT running from Sg Buloh to Kajang, and which, will run through Jalan Besar according to the masterplan, I am afraid congestion will escalate further. Relocation of this bus station in the heart of the town should be considered and a viable place elsewhere should be looked into without delay.

Jalan Bukit is another congested area as the train station is situated along a busy route, thus creating a massive movement of people.

Traffic police should be deployed to disperse the traffic.

Another concern is the cutting down of trees indiscriminately in many residential areas when a mere trimming of the branches should be the order of the day.

Trees provide shade; give us a touch of greenery and a cooling effect on the environment.

Impose strict rules pertaining to the cutting down of trees without valid reasons.

On the other hand, do consider whether the two existing wet markets, one in Kajang town and the other in Sungei Chua are able to meet the needs of the people as in most days these two markets are filled with people and there are obviously limited parking space for cars.

I strongly believe Kajang can be transformed into a ‘Garden of Eden’ as ratepayers are contributing millions annually to MPKj’s coffers and this money ought to be spent wisely on improving the infrastructure and the housekeeping of the entire town.

DR TAN ENG BEE
Kajang

REMEMBERING THE LESS FORTUNATE DURING THE FESTIVE SEASON

Saturday February 13, 2010
Single mums stand tall at reunion
By YIP YOKE TENG
Photos by SIA HONG KIAU

teng@thestar.com.my

THE reunion dinner is the most important meal of the year for the Chinese, and it should be a happy, heart-warming occasion with every one in the family coming together to celebrate the bond they share.

However, the occasion may be tinged with sadness for some families, in which some members are absent for one reason or another.

Still, the fact that they were from “incomplete” families did not stop 220 single parents and their children from revelling in a reunion dinner organised by Persatuan Rumah Caring Kajang at Fortuna Palace Restaurant in Kajang on Monday, alongside 20 old folks and 90 former drug addicts.

The single mothers kept their chins up, having embraced independence, and stood proud as their children, despite having had to endure pain and hardship in their growing years, had passed their examinations with flying colours or excelled in their career.

Thanks, mum!: Hiew Yoke Kuan (left) and Fu Xiang sharing Chinese New Year dishes with Liew at the reunion dinner

The hard work of 12 children who had scored straight As in the UPSR and PMR exams was recognised when they received awards from Kajang assemblyman Lee Kim Sin.

Among them were Hiew Yoke Kuan, 17, and her 12-year-old brother Fu Xiang, who had scored eight and seven As in their PMR and UPSR examinations respectively.

Nine years ago, their father succumbed to illness on the third day of Chinese New Year, leaving their mother Lim Mee Hua, 50, to fend for the family by ferrying children to school and making cakes.

Lim was thankful that she had a driving licence, which allowed her to eke out a living while keeping a watchful eye on her children.

Cherish the moment: Tan playing with her grandchild Looi Rui while Looi and his wife Tang Yi share the warm moment during the dinner

Two years ago, she started taking part in activities organised by the association and established close ties with its members.

“The Chinese New Year and reunion dinner used to remind me of the poignant moments of losing my husband, but now, these occasions fuel my spirit to brave the challenges ahead,” she said.

Another single mother, Tan Teaw Sim, 64, was all smiles at the reunion dinner, which she attended with her son Looi Joo Koon, 39, daughter-in-law Tang Yi, 39, and her four-year-old granddaughter Looi Rui.

When her husband left her, Tan took up to four jobs to raise Looi, who was then only seven years old.

A doctor now, Looi recalled helping his mother at a food kiosk and working part-time to earn tuition fees when pursuing his medical degree in China.

“The opportunities are out there and every one has an equal chance to taste success, so don’t be disheartened,” he told the children present.

He said the reunion dinner should not be the only occasion in the year to show love to one’s parents. “Find time to chat with them as often as possible; it will be good enough.”

Lim Mian Loong, 21, who amazed those around him with his excellent score of 3.97 out of 4 points in the first year of his accountancy degree at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, cherishes the reunion dinner as an occasion to thank his mother, Ong Lian Hiang, 51, who had raised him single-handedly since he was five, working in a restaurant.

Lim, who juggled his school work with part-time jobs, said it was time for his mother to enjoy life while he took over the role of breadwinner.

The festive mood was intense as the participants tossed yee sang, tucked into Chinese New Year dishes and were entertained by a world champion harmonica ensemble.

Residents from Caring Old Folks Home danced gleefully to the music while residents of six drug rehabilitation centres in Cheras and Kajang praised God in song.

Lee also penned chun lian (Chinese New Year couplets) on the spot and gave them to those present.

The association’s founder, Wendy Yap, said dedicating more than a decade to helping single mothers had proven rewarding.

“We believe helping single mothers is not just about giving them money and provisions; we must also make sure they can eventually live an independent life and, most importantly, their children grow up to be useful persons,” she said, thanking the 10 donors and sponsors who had made the reunion dinner a success.

“It is great that the children understand that only education can pull their families out of poverty and bring about a better life.

“Their mothers have done a great job in guiding them, despite the hardship they have had to bear,” she added.

CUTTING DOWN ON CRIME IN KAJANG, THE STAR, TUE 12 JAN 2010

Tuesday January 12, 2010

Cutting down on crime for Taman Sri Reko and Taman Hijau

By CHARLES FERNANDEZ

RESIDENTS of Taman Sri Reko and neighbouring Taman Hijau have been keeping their doors locked at all times due to a spate of break-ins recently. However, they can afford to let their guard down a bit now.

Kajang district OCPD ACP Mohd Sakaruddin Che Mood has given his personal assurance that all would be well and that the police would send patrol teams to the area.

Taman Sri Reko is home to many senior citizens who are often left alone in the morning, caring for their grandchildren and they have been keeping their doors locked at all times.

During a meeting attended by more than 30 residents from both the housing areas, the residents related how their peace of mind had been compromised since many of them had become targets of snatch thieves, robbers or even car thieves.

Taman Sri Reko and Taman Hijau

Anne Freeman, 47, from Taman Sri Reko said thieves were now employing a new method to break into the houses.

“They would first survey the area, study the movements of the residents and only break-in during a downpour.

“They know that cries for help are easily muffled by the sound of the rain,” Freeman said.

During the meeting, many of the residents told ACP Mohd Sakaruddin that they felt the police had been slow to act on their complaints.

One resident known only as Veni wanted to know if the police were supposed to get back to the complainants on the progress of an investigation.

Mohd Sakaruddin said by right, the investigating officer should get back to the complainant and inform them on the status of the case.

“They should get back to the complainants two weeks after the reports were filed and advise them on the status of their investigations,” Mohd Sakaruddin.

He also pointed out that while the residents had brought up many complaints at the meeting, the nearby police station had only received three reports last year.

“We hope in future the residents will work closely with the police. There are 1,2 million residents under the Kajang police district and the ratio is one policeman to 1,200 residents.

“We need your help to combat crime in the district before the statistics shoots up further,” he added.

Mohd Sakaruddin said residents could contact the police district headquarters at 03-8736 2222 or call him personally at 019-955 3555/019-600 0801.

THE STAR (MON, 5 OCT 2009) - ENDING FLOODS IN KAJANG?

Below is an excerpt from The Star today. If we can end flooding in Kajang......wow think about it.

The Star, Monday October 5, 2009

Kajang council out to end floods

KAJANG assemblyman Lee Kim Sin recently announced that the state government had allocated RM8.7mil to upgrade Sungai Jelok and Sungai Ramal.

“The rivers will be widened and deepened and the river banks reinforced. Sungai Jelok, which flows through Kajang town, is the cause of frequent floods and the upgrading works there are already 70% complete.

“There will be two phases for the upgrading works at Sungai Ramal and Phase 1 has been completed,” he said.

More capacity: The new drains in Taman Setia can hold more water

He added that more than RM48,000 had also been allocated to upgrade the drainage system in 24 zones in Kajang. Work on the project began this year and will continue until next year.

“The state government has allocated funds to the Kajang Municipal council (MPKj) for the upgrade,” he said, adding that he has also contributed RM40,000 for the upgrading works.

Currently upgrading works are being carried out at Taman Setia, Kajang.

According to muinicipal councillor P. Narayanan, Taman Setia had been experiencing floods because of narrow drains.

“The water from Kampung Sungai Chua flows through Taman Setia. Whenever it rains, a backflow happens when two drains merge.

“Now, a U-shaped drain has been built to replace the previous V-shaped drain to enable the drains to sustain more water,” he said.

According to Kampung Baru Sungai Chua Village Safety and Development Committee (JKKK) chairman Yong Swan Khong, there are 200 houses in Taman Setia and the three rows consisting of around 100 units are affected whenever there are floods.

Lee pointed out that there was vacant land near Taman Setia that would be developed.

Yong hopes that the proper infrastructure will be in place before the development begins as he is afraid the project may worsen the floods in the area.

“We will carry out gotong-royong with the residents associations to clean the drains. The villagers in the Kwan Tung Baru New Vilage have been having monthly gotong-royong for the past three months,” Yong said.

Until next time, cheers.