Post tiMPKj gives owners time to legalise illegal extensionstle

The Star, Saturday June 30, 2012

MPKj gives owners time to legalise illegal extensions

THE Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) has extended the deadline for houseowners to legalise their illegal extensions until Dec 31.

This is to give them more time to prepare building plans for the illegal extensions.

MPKj president Datuk Hasan Nawawi Abd Rahman said the council had simplified several procedures.

“Houseowners have to engage a qualified architect or draughtsman registered with the Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM).

“Low-cost single storey houseowners have to buy a Standard Plan form from the MPKj Building Control Department,” he said.

He added that houseowners were exempted from paying the plan deposit fees and approval would be given within 24 hours after the application was received.

“Houseowners who fail to submit their plans before the deadline will be issued a fine 20 times the total of the plan fee under Section 70 (14) of the Streets, Drainage and Building Act,” he said.

A census by the Building Control Department found that most of the extensions were for the kitchen, car porch, additional floors and balconies.

For details, call the council’s Building Task Force Unit at 03-8737 7899 ext 6012/6053.

The Star, Saturday June 23, 2012

Elderly woman missing after leaving house

KAJANG: An 83-year-old woman who was last seen leaving her house in Batu 9, Cheras on Monday has gone missing, her family said.

Lam Ah Lan had reportedly left the family home in Taman Megah at around 7am on that day.

Her daughter, Christine Liew, 44, said: “I heard my mother getting up and doing some chores.

“I did not think much of it at the time as my mother likes to keep herself occupied.”

The last she heard of her mother was when Lam opened the front gate of the house, said Liew yesterday.

The family lodged a police report on Tuesday after they searched for her in vain in the neighbourhood and nearby areas.

Kajang OCPD Ass Comm Abdul Rashid Abdul Wahab said the matter was being investigated as a missing person's case.

Those with information on Lam's whereabouts can call 016-3986 268 (Christine) or 012-3155 442 (Annie) or contact the nearest police station.

The Star, Friday June 22, 2012

Half-buried septic tank

THE Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) has issued a stop-work order for the installation of an underground septic tank in Taman Seri Kota, Sungai Chua, which was not being built according to specifications.

Residents and business owners have cried foul over a septic tank that was installed two weeks ago between two shoplots near the residential area.

They said part of the tank was above the ground because the contractors found a water table underground.

Wong Kee Choo, 48, whose shop is situated next to the septic tank, said he was approached by the developer a month ago to use the vacant land next to his shop.

Not right: Part of this septic tank is above ground after a stop-work order was issued on its installation.

 

“I signed the documents to allow them to place their machinery on the vacant land. I was also told that an underground septic tank will be built there. However, when the contractors were digging, they found water table underground and decided to not dig further. Hence, part of the septic tank is above the ground,” he said.

Kajang assemblyman Lee Kim Sin and Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) planning department officers visited the site and issued an immediate stop-work order.

According to Lee, the septic tank was to be used by a budget hotel above the shoplot.

“There is a water table and peat soil 1.5m underground and the contractors were worried that any further digging would affect the foundation of the septic tank,” he said.

He added that the contractors also did not allocate 2.1m of buffer space for the septic tank.

“MPKj has approved the budget hotel’s building plans but the tank was supposed to be underground.

“The hotel owner has to submit an amended plan to MPKj and can only continue work if it is approved,” Lee explained.

Resident Kwan Fook Ho, 50, said the council should not have approved plans for a budget hotel.

“We are already facing parking problems because of the eateries here and with a budget hotel, the situation will be worse.

“I am worried that this will affect the property value here. There are about 60 houses in this area,” he added.

Lee said of the hundreds of budget hotels in the municipality, only eight were legal.

“Such hotels pose a safety risk as some do not have emergency exits in case of fire. There are still no clear guidelines for budget hotels and the local authorities are looking into this, he said.

MCA hold hi tea fellowship with Christian community

The MCA organised a hi tea fellowship with the Christian community in conjunction with the full visit by their president, Dato Seri Chua Soi Lek. Also present were other MCA central leadership. This was held at the Oriental Crystal Hotel on Friday, 15 June 2012 between 5.30 to 7.00 pm.

As there were no prior agenda given, it was more of a Q&A and pouring out of grouses. This type of meeting for me is not really productive with politicians as they will try to lecture you and also impart their wisdom, believes and experience to you. The standard answers will always be write to me or to so and so and copy to me. If there were requests for funds, also the same, write to me and I see how we can help.

All in all, there were about 100 or so people and what the got of this this fellowship, would be anybody's guess.

Until the next time, cheers.

The Star, Saturday June 16, 2012

Two toll plazas to go

THE toll plazas at Batu 9 Kuala Lumpur-bound and Batu 11 Kajang-bound of the Grand Saga Highway will be demolished in three months.

Highway concessionaire Grand Saga Sdn Bhd senior general manager A. Rajasolan said there would be more lanes near the plazas after the toll plazas were demolished.

He said they would conform to the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) standard.

Safety in school: Rajasolan (second right) presenting a token to student Muhammad Faizal Noraihan. With them are (from left) Zainal, Grand Saga public relations executive Norashikin Nordin and school’s students affairs assistant head Datin Norliza Shamsudin.

 

“There isn’t much difference in the volume of traffic on the road now,” he said at the road safety briefing programme at SMK Bandar Damai Perdana in Cheras.

The programme was carried out by the traffic police, Selangor Road Safety Department (JKJR) and Road Transport Department.

About 100 Form 4 and 5 students attended the briefing by Sgt Major Zainal Alam Abdul Majid.

Rajasolan said they had been carrying out similar programmes for the past six years to promote road safety, especially among students.

“We want students to realise the consequences of not following the regulations,” he said, adding this was their third and final programme for the year.

Sgt-Major Zainal Alam said a similar programme held at SMK Sultan Abdul Aziz (SAAS) yearly had shown a difference among the students.

“It would be better if the schools worked with the police, whereby the schools can later take action against students without licences.

“In most cases we warn students who do not have licences.

“Some of the offences include not wearing helmets and riding withour a licence. Most accidents are caused by the way they ride the bikes,” he said.

Dato Seri Chua Soi Lek spent a whole in Kajang meeting various groups on Friday, 15 June. Not sure what was the intention and also finally what was the result. Sometimes less is more.

Until the next time, cheers.

The Star, Saturday June 16, 2012

Tri-lingual talent needed

KAJANG: The country needs more tri-lingual talent to increase its trade volume and realise its aspiration to become a high-income nation by 2020, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said.

“The trade volume between Malaysia and countries that use Chinese as their main language is about 20% of our total,” he said.

“That is why, logically, we need more people who have a good grasp of English, Bahasa Malaysia and Chinese,” he added.

Dr Chua said that in the 60s no one expected China to rise as an economic powerhouse, but nobody could deny that it was now the second economic superpower in the world.

Important discussion: Dr Chua and Dr Wee (second from left) talking to SJK (C) Yu Hua board of directors chairman Lee Hing (second from right). With them are Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Chua Tee Yong (right) and MCA Kajang division chief Jeffrey Lee Ban Seng.

 

Responding to the United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia or Dong Zong's claims that MCA and the Government had agreed to limit the number of Chinese independent schools back in 1995, Dr Chua said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who was education minister then, had assured him that there was no such agreement.

“I believe that this is an attempt to damage the reputation of MCA,” he said.

On Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's statement that such an agreement was struck in the 60s, Dr Chua said he would consult former MCA leaders on the matter.

Later, Dr Chua and Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong assured the board of directors and management personnel at the SJK (C) Yu Hua here that funds could be allocated from the Education Ministry's education fund once they received reports detailing the extent of damage caused by a fire on Tuesday.

Wee said the ministry was still waiting for the reports from its development division, the Works Department and the Fire and Rescue Department, which had conducted separate investigations hours after the fire.

Yu Hua School Fire

Latest update : I posted earlier it was Kajang High School but it is now confirmed that it is Yu Hua. The fire started from an air conditioner. Pity it also destroyed the library where there were a number of old books.

Original post :

I just saw this post from my FB Friend. Fire was yesterday. No one was hurt and school may be closed for a week. Will post more information when I have.


Until the next time, cheers.