A-G’s advice sought over defiant KTV
Published on: Friday, April 03, 2020
THE Penampang District Council has exhausted every avenue to put a stop to the noise nuisance coming from a KTV at a commercial centre near Kg Kohizan and is now seeking advice from the Attorney-General (A-G) on how to deal with the problem.A Council spokesman said the agency initially notified the KTV owner to stop operating a karaoke at the premises as the individual did not have the approval to run such a facility there.
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“We have served multiple compounds to the operator,” he said. However, he declined to specify the total amount of these penalties.
“They go into thousands.”
He said, at one point, the main entrance to the premises was even boarded up, after a joint inspection by the Council’s officers and their peers from other agencies.
The boards were removed the next day and business at the outlet resumed as normal, according to him.
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When asked if the Council had confiscated the karaoke and other entertainment equipment at the KTV, the spokesman said the agency had not yet done this.
“We are waiting for word from the A-G and Ministry of Local Government and Housing Ministry on how best to proceed.
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“We have written to the Ministry and are waiting for an appointment to see the A-G.”
He expressed frustration at the owner for being “berdegil” (defiant), saying that countless checks had been made of the KTV and many warnings had been given to the individual.
The spokesman was responding to a petition, signed by 28 residents along Lorong Kg Kohizan, about the “noise pollution” coming from the KTV.
This document was submitted to the Council at the end of January.
The residents bemoaned the loud music coming from the premises, especially between midnight and 5am or 6am.
They said they were fed up with this nuisance which they had been putting up with since October.
Complaints had repeatedly been lodged with the Council in the intervening months, but the problem still persisted, according to them.
“We hope the Council will intervene to stop the noise pollution which is a public nuisance and potential health hazard as it has deprived us of sleep and caused us undue stress,” they said.
Daily Express has also received several complaints from a homeowner living nearby since November.
The individual said the loud music and sounds of drunken patrons could be heard into the wee hours.
She said this nuisance had been going on for some time and had deprived her family of a good night’s rest.
She said the premises opened as early as 8pm and closed at almost dawn.
The homeowner said the din was especially evident between midnight and 2.30am, when the traffic on the surrounding road had died down.
“It is difficult for the residents to get a good night’s rest because of this nuisance.”
“I suspect that the karaoke is not sound-proofed and do not know how the relevant authority could have over looked this when it approved the premises,” she said.
She said one of her neighbours had spoken to the operator about this problem but his pleas had, so far, fallen on deaf ears.
“I have repeatedly reported this problem to the local authorities. Each time I do, the problem will stop only to resurface a few days later,” she said.
The resident wanted to know if the proprietor had a valid licence to operate a karaoke at his premises.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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