Illegal dumpsite in Hulu Langat continues to burn after 10 days

The Star, Wednesday August 6, 2014 

by shalini ravindran

Workers at an illegal dump site along Jalan Hulu Langat seen attempting to stifle the burning rubbish by heaping sand on top of the pile.

A PEAT fire is raging under an illegal dumpsite in Hulu Langat, Kajang.

A heavy blanket of smoke covers the entire area and the situation has worsened with the prolonged drought and haze.

Smoke has been emitting from the site for the past 10 days.

StarMetro visited the dumpsite along Jalan Hulu Langat on Monday and found that most of the waste consisted of construction debris and broken furniture.

The dumpsite is also a threat to the environment as it is near the Ulu Langat Forest Reserve.

A nearby resident who did not want to be identified said the illegal dumpsite has been operating for several years.

“People would collect money when rubbish trucks enter the area.

“This has been going on for more than 10 years, but the authorities have turned a blind eye,” he said.

The site was poorly fenced with discarded materials and a few workers could be seen in the vicinity.

Feedlot owner Azlin Khalid, who operates a feed yard for livestock at the top of the hill, said he was shocked to see flames and smoke at the site.

“I had to relocate my animals to higher ground as I was afraid the fire would spread,” he said, adding that he has about 300 livestock.

“Personnel from the Kajang Fire and Rescue Department came to put out the fire on the first night and they were here for three days.

“But, the rubbish pile is still emitting smoke and it is worse at night,” he said.

Azlin added that despite complaints to the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj), no action had been taken to close down the site.

A representative from the Fire and Rescue Department said they would continue to monitor the situation.

“The fire will not spread as it is contained within the rubbish heap.

“It is difficult to put out the flames completely. In addition, there are no water sources nearby.

“We have to get a fresh supply every half an hour,” he said.

Dusun Tua assemblyman Razaly Hassan said there was an issue over jurisdiction.

“Neither MPKj nor the Hulu Langat Land and District Office could confirm who the land belonged to, but it should either be a forest reserve or state government land.

“I have brought this up many times during the Hulu Langat Action Committee meeting, but still no action has been taken,” he said.

Razaly added that he would pursue the matter with the relevant authorities.

Council mulls setting up spy team to nab litterbugs

The Star, Wednesday August 6, 2014

by oh ing yeen

THE Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) is considering to create a “spy team” to nab litterbugs and those who put up illegal advertisements.

Councillor Bryan Lai, who was speaking at the MPKj full board meeting, the council already had existing bylaws to counter such illegal activities but they were not enforced.

“Allan Liew from MCA recently criticised that enforcement was lax in MPKj; he is right.

“The council’s health department inspectors have the right to nab litter bugs but to my knowledge, there was only one litter bug nabbed so far,” Lai said.

He said the council’s town services department had suggested that a spy team be set up.

“RM1.3mil is spent to collect illegally dumped rubbish.

“If we spend so much, we might as well spend money on nabbing the offenders and issuing them fines.

“This will in turn generate revenue for the council.

“The maximum fine is RM1,000 for vandalism,” he said, adding that councillors were pushing for the set up of this team.

It was no surprise that the long-standing issue of waste management had been raised at the meeting again.

The council’s waste contractors are currently going to the landfill in Tanjung Dua Belas in Kuala Langat, about 40km from Kajang,

The Selangor government has suggested that the council either build a transfer station or repair the Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) centre in Semenyih.

The RDF now has 30,000 tonnes of unprocessed rubbish since May.

Currently, the council is reducing its collection frequency in residential areas from thrice a week to once or twice a week as a short-term plan.

Lai urged that a task force be set up to study and solve the waste management problem immediately.

Kajang Municipal Council president Datuk Hassan Nawawi Abdul Rahman said the council would look into the suggestion to see if there was a need for a task force.

A new councillor, Chan Su Sann, was sworn in last week.

Chan was formerly a councillor of the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council.

Woman bashed up after honking error

The Star, Wednesday July 23, 2014 

by natasha joibi

KAJANG: A 35-year-old woman suffered injuries to her face after a motorcyclist struck her with a helmet when he thought she had honked at him.

District OCPD Asst Comm Ab Rashid Ab Wahab said the road rage incident happened at about 10.30am on Tuesday while the woman was in Sungai Jelok to have her breakfast.

“She was driving in her Proton Iswara when she spotted someone resembling her uncle across the road. She honked her car to alert him.

“However, a 54-year-old motorcyclist who was at that time near her vehicle thought she was honking at him,” he said Wednesday.

ACP Ab Rashid said the man scolded the female driver and started hitting her car with his helmet.

“The woman alighted from the vehicle to clarify the situation but the motorcyclist struck her face with the helmet, causing injuries to her left chin,” he explained.

Police identified the culprit following a report lodged by the woman and arrested him at a house in Sungai Jelok the same night.

ACP Ab Rashid said the man, who has one previous criminal record, would be in police custody for three days.

He confirmed that the case is being probed under Section 324 of Penal Code for intentionally causing hurt with a dangerous weapon.

ACP Ab Rashid explained that crimes fuelled by road rage are not unheard of, but have gained more attention after a 30-year-old woman was filmed hammering an elderly man’s car with a steering lock at the parking lot of UTC, Jalan Sekilau in Kuantan on July 14.

“We advise the public to alert us of any incident of road rage so that swift action can be taken against the perpetrators,” he said.

Escalating land cost in KL and PJ driving developers south of Klang Valley

The Star, Wednesday July 23, 2014

PETALING JAYA: More developers are choosing to relocate their developments towards the south of the Klang Valley due to escalating land prices in and around Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur. 

 

“Escalating land prices within Greater KL have reduced the supply of affordable landed properties, which remain in demand,” said AllianceDBS Research in a report yesterday.

“The mass rapid transit (MRT) connectivity at Kajang (ready by 2017) and the ready infrastructure with several highways have made Kajang/Semenyih the natural choice for developers to expand township developments.”

The research house said this was supported by the availability of large tracts of land and these districts recording among the strongest population growth in Selangor.

“The close proximity to KLCC and the Putrajaya federal administrative centre will ensure KL South continues to thrive.”

AllianceDBS Research noted, however, that Greater KL and the Klang Valley remain the core of the Government’s Economic Transformation Programme.

“The Government wants to grow the Greater KL population to 10 million by 2020 from an estimated seven million currently. This means the Greater KL population has to grow by 5.2% per annum on average, much higher than the national average of 1.4%.

“If the goal materialises, then this would translate into stronger demand for housing of 80,000 units per annum in Greater KL alone vis-à-vis 78,000 units completed for the whole country in 2013.”

AllianceDBS Research said the housing demand in Greater KL is likely to remain healthy going forward, adding, however, that buyers would be picky because of the steep pricing, no thanks to a slew of cost-push factors, including inflationary pressure, subsidy rationalisation and the implementation of minimum wages.

“Faced with the risk of margin compression, property developers will naturally look to landbank in areas where land cost is relatively low and there is ready infrastructure and a growing population.”

Residents irked by blocked drains in SL13

The Star, Wednesday July 23, 2014

by farah fazanna zulzaha

SL 13 residents said the dried leaves are strewn all over the road is an eyesore.

RESIDENTS in SL13, Bandar Sungai Long, Kajang are worried about the blocked sewage drain near Jalan SL 13/5.

A resident, who only wanted to be known as Low, said the drain was supposed to channel water into a retention pond about 100m away.

“The water is now stagnant in the drain and the flow is most probably blocked by overgrown bushes,” he said.

He said the blocked sewage drain had become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

“The situation has gotten worse in recent months as dirty water has stagnated in the drain.

“The SL13 Residents Association has filed a complaint with Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) to clean up the drain and the surrounding area.

“We have written to them a couple of times but they have yet to take any action,” he said.

He added that the retention pond was filled with overgrown bushes and he urged the council to trim the trees and bushes around it.

Raj showing the sewage drain near Jalan SL 13/5 which is blocked by overgrown bushes.

  Housewife Rose Chye said she had to spray mosquito repellent day and night.

“There are mosquitoes in my house even though I kept the doors and windows closed,” she said.

She added that although there was no dengue case reported in the neighbourhood as yet, MPKj should not wait until that happened before cleaning up the area.

Apart from the blocked drain, residents are also fed up with MPKj contractors that did not pick up the garbage bags after clearing dried leaves from the road.

“The bags would be left for a few weeks before they returned to pick them up,” said Chye.

Another resident, Raj Thangavelu, complained about cracks that have been appearing around his house for the last few years.

“I can see that there is some earth movement and there are new cracks every week,” he said.
He urged MPKj to visit SL13 to take the necessary action.

Tin-mining brings prosperity to Sungai Chua

My SinChew.com, 19 July 2014

Translated by SOONG PHUI JEE

Sungai Chua was well-known for its tin-mining industry. It has come into existence as early as 1807, while the first Chinese tin miners arrived here only around 1870. In end of 19th century, the rise of rubber industry had further promoted the prosperity of Sungai Chua, with most villagers engaged in rubber tapping and tin-mining activities.

Sungai Chua was having only about 50 households in early days but it has now more than 1,000 households, thanks to the development of train services. Photo courtesy: Sin Chew Daily

 

Tasik Sungai Chua is the only remaining mine lake in Sungai Chua. Photo courtesy: Sin Chew Daily

A religious tourist destination in Sungai Chua attracting many tourists particularly during weekends. Photo courtesy: Sin Chew Daily

Sungai Chua was well-known for its tin-mining industry. Photo courtesy: Sin Chew Daily

Rice purchase records during the Malayan Emergency, when the British colonial government imposed restrictions on rice purchase. Photo courtesy: Sin Chew Daily

A registration certificate during the British colonial period. Photo courtesy: Sin Chew Daily

The famous Kindersley brothers opened the Inch Kenneth Coffee Estate in 1894 and planted five acres of rubber trees in 1896, making them among the first to plant rubber in the country on a commercial scale. The brothers then founded the Inch Kenneth Kajang Rubber Plc in 1910. 

Land was allocated to residents in Kajang and Sungai Chua at that time, making them small rubber estate owners.

Resident Hung, 78, lived in an estate in Jalan Reko but was gathered and moved into Sungai Chua New Village during the Malayan Emergency in 1948. He was about 12 years old at that time.

"Although each household received a piece of land at that time, but life was very hard and the British colonial government gave villagers only RM200 of allowance to build their own houses, which was not enough to cover the construction cost of at least RM500," he recalled.

He said that most villagers were tin miners or rubber tappers in early days. Tin mining activities were very popular, but the pay was not good. It was only enough to support their families. 

"The place was sought-after when tin prices were high but after the prices plummeted, tin became worthless and we believe that there are still tin here," he added.

Hung admitted that the security in Sungai Chua was very good in the past and it would not be a problem even if they left their gates unlocked. However, they have to be careful nowadays although the order is still considered good.

Another resident Zhang Yin, 70, is also a native of Sungai Chua. His grandparents settled in Kajang since they first came to Malaya from southern China a century ago.

For Zhang Yin, although he was just a young kid when the Emergency was imposed by the British colonial government, he can still remember that everyone was particularly cautious during that "troubled times".

Due to financial difficulties, he only joined a tuition class and started to tap rubber at young age.

He said that although some houses in Sungai Chua are still in their original appearances, most have been reconstructed. 

Village head Xie Wei Xian, 30, said that Sungai Chua is 600 acres in size and the number of residents are growing. With the flourishing industry and developing housing sector, Sungai Chua has at least 10,000 of residents nowadays.

"Residents are mainly Chinese, with some Indians and Malays. However, many owners now also lease their houses to foreign workers, causing a surge in the number of foreigners in the village," he said.

He said that although Sungai Chua has been gradually urbanised, the interaction among residents remains tight and thus, many young people have chosen to stay in the village, reducing the worries of the outflow of young people.

Cabbie in cricket bat attack

The Star, Saturday July 12, 2014 

by natasha joibi

KAJANG: A 31-year-old woman, who drives a taxi for a living, finally reported her abusive husband for physically assaulting her and their 10-year-old son.

The man – also a taxi driver – was apparently under the influence of drugs when he used cricket bat in the latest round of assault that left a deep wound in the boy’s forehead.

District OCPD Asst Comm Ab Rashid Ab Wahab said the 38-year-old man was arrested on Friday morning following a police report lodged by his wife at 4pm on Thursday.

“He started hitting his wife after the couple had an argument around noon the same day. He kicked her and struck her with a cricket bat, in­­juring her head, spine and leg,” he said.

ACP Ab Rashid added that the man then started hitting the child with the bat.

“She told police that he had beaten them several times before,” he said.

The man confessed that he had taken methamphetamine, said ACP Ab Rashid, who added that the case is being probed under Section 324 of Penal Code for intentionally causing hurt with a dangerous weapon.

On an unrelated matter, a 17-year-old petrol pump attendant is being investigated for allegedly having sex with a minor.

ACP Ab Rashid said the police found the boy alone with a 14-year-old girl by the roadside in Semenyih on Thursday.

“When questioned, the girl said they had had sex seven times.

“She claimed her father ‘banished’ her to live with her grandmother in Banting after she was expelled from school in April for disciplinary problems,” he added.

Unhappy living with her grandmother, the girl had been living in a surau for the past two months.

“She stayed at her boyfriend’s house in Kampung Sungai Tangkas when his family was away.

ACP Ab Rashid said that police had contacted the girl’s Indonesian father who did not lodge a missing persons report even after the girl “disappeared” from her grandmother’s house.