Irresponsible bosses told to clear mess
Published on: Friday, March 05, 2021
By: Sidney Skinner
City Hall staff have a word with the proprietor about cleaning the garden waste from the road shoulder.
Two Kolombong proprietors have been instructed to remove the garden waste they threw on the road-shoulder outside their respective premises along Jalan Kilang.A City Hall spokesman said the proprietors had pruned the trees outside their compound and dumped the cut branches at two separate sections of the verge.
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“In one instance, the trimmings stretched for meters and encroached onto part of the stretch,” he said.
“The other pile had been left on the side of the road for so long that it had become an illegal garbage dump.
“Our staff noted the presence of an unwanted bunting, bits off wood and part of a cement block which had been discarded among the dried branches.”
He said the respective proprietors were asked to clear this mess as soon as possible.
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“They were also given a strict warning not to obstruct the common areas in the area, including the road-shoulders, again in future.”
“They have a grace-period in which to comply with our instructions.
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“Should the problem persist after this, then further action will be taken against them.”
He said the pair risked being served with a compound of up to RM500 under the agency’s bylaws.
“In extreme cases, these business-owners could be brought to court where they risk having to pay a maximum fine of RM5, 000.”
City Hall’s action was prompted by a Kolombong rate-payer’s displeasure about what he thought was the agency’s half-hearted effort to tend to the greenery in the common areas along Jalan Kilang.
This garden waste has been here so long that it has become an illegal garbage dump, with other items discarded on top.
The individual was under the impression that City Hall had pruned the trees but failed to clear the trimmings.
He said the mess left behind from this work had been on the verge for close to a month.
The spokesman clarified that the trees which were pruned did not belong to the agency.
He said the agency’s staff would check on the goings-on in the area, from time to time, to deter the public from transforming other sections of the roadside into illegal dumps.
He urged rate-payers to cut any tree trunks or branches, they wanted to dispose off, down to a more manageable size and bag this waste.
“This will allow our workers to remove this rubbish when their bins are emptied,” he said.
“If they are unable to chop down their garden waste to smaller pieces, then the onus falls on them to get rid of this rubbish at the dump site for the City.”
He said they should hire a private contractor to transport their trimmings to Kayu Madang.
“If they are at a loss to do this, then they can ask us for advice,” he said.
ANTONIA of Kolombong claimed that the trees along some parts of the Jalan Kilang were pruned the beginning of February.
The trimmings were swept into piles but this waste were not transported away,” she said.
“I can’t understand why this garden waste was not removed immediately as an open truck was seen together with a ‘skymaster’ at the time the trees were pruned.”
She said the nearest pile of branches could be seen from the main entrance to her office.
“On top of being an eyesore, I fear that this dried wood might catch on fire and put all of who work nearby at risk.
“There is every possibility of this happening given the hot weather which the State occasionally experiences.”
Antonia said she related these concerns to City Hall in the middle of February.
The trees outside this Kolombong commercial premises were chopped at the beginning of February.
“I was initially assured that my grievance would be forwarded to the relevant section.
“Later, I provided some photographs of the mess to one of the agency’s staff.”
When no action was forthcoming more than a week later, she contacted Hotline for help.
Antonia’s complaint was also forwarded to the Public Works Department.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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