Utility land should be preserved

Wednesday, 4 November 2009

Utility land should be preserved

SUBANG JAYA: The Subang Jaya Municipal Council has decided to revoke the development order for a building on Telekom utility land in USJ6.

Subang Jaya assemblyman Hannah Yeoh said she was told of the decision after an hour-long special meeting between the 24 councillors and Subang Jaya Municipal Council president Datuk Adnan Mohd Ikshan yesterday.

"The decision was made based on Section 25 of the Town and Country Planning Act. It will be presented to the State Planning Committee on Friday to be endorsed," she said.

Earlier, permission had been given to TM Facilities Sdn Bhd and its contractor, Pujangga Budiman, to develop the land on Lot 22395 along Persiaran Perpaduan, which is adjacent to a Telekom exchange and opposite True Fitness in Taipan.
USJ6 residents had objected to the proposed development of a nine-storey building and two basement car parks.

Yeoh said the 0.4ha land should be preserved as utility land and necessary steps should be taken to prevent it from being developed.

"It is our hope that the State Planning Committee will make the best decision for the rakyat. The land should remain true to its original purpose of utility land and it should not be developed for profit.

"This also serves as a warning to utility companies that land reserved for them cannot be developed, especially if it is in residential areas," she said.

At the monthly full board meeting yesterday, Adnan unveiled two pilot projects to tackle parking woes in the Taipan commercial centre.

To curb double parking, parking on yellow lines and parking in areas that obstruct traffic, the council will be introducing the summons lock, which resembles a bag with a cable handle.

The summons lock will be hung and tightened at the vehicle's side mirror, with a RM80 summons attached to it.

"The vehicle owner will have to settle the summons at our headquarters. If they settle it within 60 days, they are entitled to a 50 per cent discount. Owners who damage the summons lock can be fined between RM500 and RM2,000 under the council's Vandalism Act," he said.

Adnan said the pilot project is likely to start in the middle of next month or December.

Another pilot project, said Adnan, is aimed at preventing motorists from parking for more than an hour in the Taipan commercial centre, where there are 1,200 bays.

"We are in the process of finalising the details and it is expected to be launched in January next year. Also, the operator of the multi-storey carpark in Taipan has agreed to reduce its monthly fees of RM105 to RM80 to encourage motorists to utilise the facility.

"The majority of motorists have the council's monthly parking stickers, which costs RM80. They can opt to use the multi-storey carpark at no additional charges," he said.

For the 2010 budget, Adnan said the council would have RM201 million to spend, compared to RM194 million last year.

"We will go back to basics. Also, we have a new source of revenue in billboard advertisements, where the advertiser and the council will share a 70:30 profit."