‘No’ to bazaar at Reko Sentral

The Star, Monday July 22, 2013 

By JADE CHAN
jade@thestar.com.my  

Photo by NORAFIFI EHSAN

MPKj Enforcement Department officers placing traffic cones and closing off a portion of Jalan Reko Sentral 1 to prevent Ramadan bazaar traders from setting up stalls at Reko Sentral, Kajang.

THE Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) is firm in its decision to not allow a Ramadan bazaar to operate at Reko Sentral, Kajang.

“MPKj did not issue any trading permits for the site, in line with the Selangor Economic Action Council’s (MTES) decision in August last year not to have a Ramadan bazaar at Reko Sentral.

“This is due to complaints of traffic congestion, access problems and objections from Reko Sentral shopowners that their businesses were affected by the bazaar,” said MPKj Licensing Department deputy director Mohammad Izuddin Ramli.

To ensure that traders do not set up any stalls, Enforcement Department director Shariman Mohd Nor said MPKj had two trucks and officers stationed at Jalan Reko Sentral 1, outside Econsave, to monitor the situation.

“Some traders attempted to build canopies under the TNB pylons next to Jalan Reko Sentral 2 on July 11, but MPKj took them down.

“We will have MPKj trucks and officers stationed at the site until the end of Ramadan to prevent any untoward incidents,” he said.

According to Shariman, approval was initially given in 2010 for the first Ramadan bazaar at Reko Sentral, Kajang.

“The bazaar site then was located under the TNB pylons.

“However, TNB later said that under its regulations, the land where TNB pylons are located can only be used for agriculture purposes or as parking space. The following year, the Ramadan bazaar carnival was relocated to Jalan Reko Sentral 1, in front of Econsave.

“However, that resulted in a host of traffic and parking problems. The area was a mess and shopowners complained their businesses were badly affected.

“MPKj decided against issuing trading permits last year, but some stubborn traders still proceeded with the bazaar. The matter was referred to MTES and by the time a decision was made, Ramadan had come to an end,” he said, adding that there were some 60 to 70 stalls.

When MPKj opened applications for Ramadan bazaar trading sites this year, Izuddin said the Reko Sentral Ramadan bazaar organiser Taman Langat Jaya Residents’ Association submitted an application.

“Their representative submitted an application form in late April, but MPKj informed them that a bazaar could not be held at the site.

“This year, there are only two locations in Kajang where Ramadan bazaars can be held — in front of Metro Point and Plaza Metro Kajang. Only Raya-related items like clothing can be sold.

“Meanwhile, there are 28 Ramadan bazaar sites offering buka puasa fare in areas under MPKj’s administration,” said Izuddin.

Flower and decor shopowner Hasbullah Harun said his shop experienced at least a 30% drop in sales during previous years when the carnival was held in Reko Sentral.

“The situation was quite chaotic. The bazaar’s canopies blocked our shops from view.

“Garbage collection trucks and delivery vehicles also had problems accessing the commercial area,” said Hasbullah, 51, who has been trading for three years.

“A Ramadan bazaar should be located in a proper place where there is easy access, and not deprive other businesses of opportunities.”

However, restaurant operator Zura Ihah felt that the carnival should be allowed.

“MPKj can impose conditions like ensuring the stalls do not block access or visibility of the shops, or relocate the site to another corner of Reko Sentral.

“The bazaar added a festive atmosphere and drew many visitors to Reko Sentral, with some shopowners reporting that business had improved,” said the 35-year-old.

Mangled car to drive message home

The Star, Saturday July 20, 2013

By FLORENCE A. SAMY

Uniten students checking out the badly damaged car and motorcycle at the launch of the university's road safety campaign in Kajang Friday.

KAJANG: A mangled car greets those who enter and leave the main entrance of the Universiti Tenaga Nasional campus here.

There has been no recent accident but it is Uniten’s way via shock treatment to remind students, faculty members and others to stay safe during Hari Raya.

Uniten vice-chancellor Datuk Seri Prof Mashkuri Yaacob said they wanted to create awareness on the importance of safe driving during the balik kampung journey.

“Do not make the road a racing area. We need to be patient. A split-second mistake can change our lives for the worse, especially when it results in permanent disability or the loss of a loved one due to negligence,” he said at the launch of the university’s road safety campaign here yesterday.

The campaign, which included an exhibition of gory accident pictures, was jointly organised with the Selangor Civil Defence Depart­ment and the Royal Malaysian Police Force.

The event, which was held yesterday, also saw policemen displaying Mat Rempit stunts to highlight the dangers of their action.

Uniten’s security chief Maj (Rtd) Hamalek Adam said the mangled vehicle would be on display for a week.

“Listening to people talk about safe driving is not going to create a lasting impact. But seeing a mangled car and knowing that could happen to you will create a lasting impression and make you think twice about speeding or being unsafe on the road,” he added.

Hamalek suggested that accident vehicles be placed every 50km along highways to remind people to stay safe and be courteous while on the road. “That kind of image will stick in our mind for years,” he said.

Varsity student found dead

The Star, Saturday July 20, 2013

KAJANG: A university student, used to getting straight A’s, was found dead in the campus grounds.
The 23-year-old second year business accounting student, known as Lim, fell to his death from the fifth floor of one of the campus buildings which housed lecture halls at Sungai Long yesterday.

The campus security guard said he discovered Lim’s bo­­dy at around 3am while making his rounds.

“I saw someone lying on the ground. I thought it was a drunk who passed out. But when I went closer, I saw all the blood,” he said.

It is learnt that Lim, who had straight A’s in his SPM and STPM examinations, was struggling with his studies.

Lim’s father was reported to have said that they shared a close relationship and he always encouraged his son to have more friends and not to worry too much.

Lim’s body was returned to his hometown in Malacca at around 5pm yesterday.

A representative from Befrienders urged anyone dealing with depression or needing someone to talk to, to call their hotline at 03-7956 8144 or 03-7956 8145.

“We can also be reached by email at sam@befrienders.org.my,” she said.

Staking claim on parking bays

The Star, Thursday July 18, 2013

By CHOO WOON LIM, Photos by LOW LAY PHON

Unscrupulous residents erected their own illegal car park structures in Taman Megah Cheras 2 Apartments, Cheras, Kajang.

SOME residents of Taman Megah Cheras 2 Apartments in Batu 9 Cheras are unhappy that the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) is being lenient with those flouting its regulations.

Apartment joint management council chairman Tony Adrian Paan said MPKj had promised to come down hard on the residents who had put up illegal structures in the parking area but no action had been taken.

He said MPKj had issued two notices to demolish the structure — one in July 2012 and another in June this year.

In the latest notice, it had instructed errant residents to dismantle the structure within 24 hours or summonses would be issued but the notice was ignored. 

The illegal structure is a metal awning, stretching across 10 parking bays.

Long-time resident Ong Chin Ming said some residents were claiming other parking bays in the area as their own and vandalising cars parked in those spots.

Uncollected rubbish are piled up in the compound of Taman Megah Cheras 2
Apartments.

 

He said they placed objects such as traffic cones and flower pots to prevent others from parking.

“My tyres were slashed a few months ago because I had parked in one of those ‘reserved’ spots. 

“It is unfair as I also live here,” said the 49-year-old factory supervisor.

“There are many cases such as this but some residents are afraid to speak up for fear of repercussions.”

He added that other residents had to park their vehicles further away. 

There are 10 apartment blocks in the area, comprising 464 units in total. 

Uncollected rubbish was another problem faced by the residents

Owners of cleared land sought

The Star, Friday July 12, 2013 

By JADE CHAN
Photos by NORAFIFI EHSAN

Barren land: A team of MPKj officers from the Enforcement, Planning and Engineering Departments conducting a site inspection of the Sungai Tekali forest area where illegal land clearing has taken place.

THE Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) will work with the Hulu Langat District and Land Office to serve notices to landowners of the Sungai Tekali forest area where illegal land clearing has taken place.

“MPKj carried out an inspection on July 4 and found evidence of illegal site clearing works in the area,” said MPKj president Datuk Hasan Nawawi Abd Rahman.

“The affected area covers 28 lots of land measuring 22.7ha. Before issuing notices or compounds to the offenders, we need to check on their names and addresses with the Hulu Langat District and Land Office.”

Following StarMetro’s exclusive story on illegal felling of rubber trees, land clearing and soil erosion at Sungai Tekali yesterday, MPKj went to the site to stop the operators.

“The compounds will be issued for illegal clearing or earth works.

“The notices will be served by the Planning Department under the Town and Country Planning Act 1976 for illegal development or the Engineering Department under the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974 for illegal earth works, or both.” he said.

Section 27 (6) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1976 carries a fine of not more than RM100,000 or imprisonment of not more than six months, or both. It also carries a fine of up to RM5,000 for each day of development works.

Offenders who have been issued a notice under Section 70 (a) of the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974 will have to pay a compound of RM25,000, and a fine not exceeding RM50,000 or imprisonment not exceeding five years, or both if found guilty.

Nawawi said the site where illegal land-clearing works had taken place was agriculture land, but had been re-zoned for housing and industry use.

“MPKj will serve the compounds soon and the landowners will be asked to stop work and rehabilitate the site.

“If the offenders ignore the notices and continue with their land clearing operations, legal action will be taken.”

A stop-work order was also issued on an excavator operator, who was found clearing trees at one of the sites during a check by a team of MPKj officers from the Enforcement, Planning and Engineering Depart-ments yesterday.

Illegal logging exposes large tract of Sungai Tekali forest to soil erosion

The Star, Thursday July 11, 2013

By YIP YOKE TENG
Photos by SAM THAM

Plain apathy: Terracing within the illegal logging site in Jalan Sungai Tekali is exposed to the weather, drawing concerns to soil erosion.

The exemption of royalty on rubberwood logging may have helped to boost commercial development of the agricultural commodity but it has also caused severe damage to the environment, with more problems brewing.

StarMetro discovered that a large tract of land in the Sungai Tekali forest area, Hulu Langat, has been cleared.

Rubber trees are being felled and the timber sold at a sawmill at the site.

A check with the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) revealed that both the sawmill and the clearing of land being carried out are illegal.

A spokesman from the council said the planning department had a rude shock too when the matter was brought to their attention because 28 lots of land, with a combined area of 22.7ha, had been cleared.

He said the council would be issuing notices to stop the unscrupulous operators.

Environmentalist Lim Teck Wyn, who was present during the site visit by StarMetro, pointed out that the site was being abused, with no control on soil erosion.

The site where logging is being carried out is hidden from view by hoardings and the area next to it, which has signs of sand-mining activities, is left abandoned.

Through the hoardings, one can see the sawmill, piles of rubber tree logs as well as the now-bare hill terraces where rubber trees used to be.

Worse still, with no rehabilitation measures taken, the banks of a stream running through the cleared land are on the verge of collapse, and could cause flooding and mud slides.

Rubberwood, usually used as fuelwood, has become a major source of revenue for the Malaysian timber industry. It is a popular wood for making furniture and other products.

The logging royalty for rubberwood is, therefore, exempted to benefit the country’s economy. However, the policy that has been in place for about 20 years has also brought about negative consequences.

Lim said the problem of rubberwood logging was widespread and the relevant authorities were lax in carrying out enforcement measures.

“Even though royalty is exempted, the operators still need a licence from the Forestry Department to log rubberwood.

“However, the authorities have not been stern enough in enforcing the law. This could be due to the fact that there is no incentive, since the royalty is waived,” he said.

Apart from stricter enforcement, he suggested that the Government consider increasing the royalty to protect the environment.

“Its damage to the environment is the same as other logging activities. It can cause flooding, soil erosion, water pollution and landslide if the area is too steep,” he said.

“This policy must be reviewed as more than 40,000ha of Latex Timber Clone (LTC) plantations have been identified for logging under the National Key Economic Areas (NKEA). Also, the replanting plans must be closely monitored,” he said.

LTC is a rubber tree species that produces a good yield of latex as well as timber, but the latter is given priority in view of the high demand for various industrial purposes.

Lim highlighted that apart from the Forestry Department, the Environment Department could also help monitor the situation as the state director had the power to request for an Environmental Impact Assessment on a logging site measuring more than 500ha, or if the site was in a sensitive area.

Even sanctioned logging of rubberwood had been reported to have caused much suffering to the surrounding population.

A large portion of secondary forests in Johor, especially near the Endau-Rompin National Park, has been cleared for LTC plantations.

Since 2009, there have been reports on increased flooding, damaged natural habitat for wildlife such as tigers and elephants, and reduction of water catchment areas in the state.

The Malaysian Nature Society is still up in arms against the policy whereby a forest reserve does not need to be degazetted if trees are felled and replaced with LTC for the production of timber, despite the damage such actions cause to the biodiversity.

Police nab four acquaintances of suspected robber gunned down by Tan Sri

The Star, Thursday July 11, 2013

By NICHOLAS CHENG

Kajang OCPD ACP Abdul Rashid Abdul and SAC Datuk A. Thaiveegan holding upthe long parang used by the suspects during their series of robberies in Kajang, Cheras and Seremban.

KAJANG: Three men and a teenage girl, believed to be accomplices of the suspected robber who was gunned down by a Tan Sri in Cheras last Friday, have been arrested by police.

The men, aged between 22 and 30, and the 17-year-old girl were picked up during a raid at their flat in Bandar Mahkota Cheras at around 1.30am on Thursday.

Police confiscated two long parang and a knife, masks, tools for breaking into premises, mobile phones, a laptop and tablet, VCDs and boxes of cigarettes from the flat.

They also recovered over RM5,000 in cash and valuables, as well as a Proton Iswara and a stolen Perodua MyVi and Honda City.

Last Friday, Pahang Chinese Chamber of Commerce chairman Tan Sri Lam Kam Sang shot dead a 21-year-old who tried to attack him with a parang at about 10pm at a policlinic in Taman Pertama, Cheras.

Upon seeing the robber collapse, his accomplices fled on foot, abandoning their getaway car that was stolen from another robbery at a clinic in Bandar Mahkota a day earlier.

Lam, 68 was undergoing a medical checkup at the time of the incident, accompanied by his wife. He sustained minor injuries on his stomach after the attack.

Selangor acting police chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk A. Thaiveegan said initial investigations revealed that the suspects were also involved in 10 robberies in Kajang and three in Seremban this year.

In some cases, the victims were slashed by the robbers during their getaway.

“They would ambush places such as restaurants and sundry shops.

"In cases involving clinics, the female suspect would pretend to be a patient," SAC Thaiveegan said adding that the police have reason to believe the suspects were involved with the man shot dead by the Tan Sri.

He said the suspects would be remanded until July 15.

He said another seven gang members could still be at large.

“But they do not know each other, they are just acquaintances. They only know them by names like Tobey, Loga, Suria, Guru, Black, Vikram and Sasi,” he said.