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LITTERBUGS at commercial centres and towns within City Hall’s rating area collectively paid RM4,660 in on-the-spot compounds issued as part of the agency’s “Ops Bersih” over the past two months.

A spokesman for the agency’s “Jabatan Perkhidmatan Pembersihan Bandaraya (Urban Cleanliness Department, UCD)” said RM2,100 was accrued last month and a further RM2,560 in April.

“A total of 231 errant individuals were taken to task during this period,” he said.

“About 225 of them settled their compounds right away, while 6 others elected to do this within the allotted grace-period.”

He said the wrong-doers were spotted disposing of their rubbish, including cigarette butts, indiscriminately or placing in their unwanted items in the common areas. 

A compound of up to RM500 could be imposed against anyone found to be contravening City Hall’s (Anti-Litter) By-laws 1984 (Amendment 2005), according to him.

He said four to five UCD inspectors in plain clothes carried out 163 separate inspections between May and April.

Sixty-five of these checks were made between May 4 and May 28, with the Department’s staff going to properties within the City Centre, as well as those in areas ranging from Kepayan to Telipok.

He said those in Kota Kinabalu, included the shophouses in Bandaran Berjaya, Kg Air, Sinsuran and Segama, as well as the waterfront areas near the Marlin statue and City Hall Jetty.

The common areas around KK Plaza, Centre Point Sabah and the Api-Api Centre were also kept under surveillance, according to him. 

“The highest number of litterbugs was nabbed around Kg Air (15), followed by waterfront areas (11) and Sinsuran (eight).” 

When it came to areas outside the City limits, the spokesman said the UCD team went to the shops at the Kepayan Low Cost Housing, Taman Bunga Raja, Taman Iramanis, Lorong Perindustrian Nountun, Taman Indah Permai and Taman Kuala Manggatal.

On top of this, Damai Plaza, Plaza Juta, the Inanam Business Centre, EG Mall, Kingfisher Plaza, Alam Mesra, University Plaza, Polytechnic Commercial Centre, Synergy Square and Salut Commercial Centre were kept under surveillance.

Checks were also made at the Sembulan and Telipok townships.

The Inanam Business Centre was the location with the most offenders, in this instance, with 10 litterbugs caught around the different blocks here, according to the spokesman said.

This was followed, he said, by the Polytechnic Commercial Centre where seven errant individuals in total were nabbed.  

He said four each were taken to task around Damai Plaza and Plaza Juta. 

“UCD inspectors noticed that a shop-owner at the Polytechnic Commercial Centre had piled up his belongings on the pavement and verge behind his/her unit.”

The spokesman said 98 “Ops Bersih” inspections were made between April 1 and April 30.

“Most of the wrongdoers in City Centre were caught red-handed around the May Bank area of Kg Air (17) during that month,” he said. 

“Another 12 were taken to task around the Centre Point Shopping Centre, while seven others were apprehended in the vicinity of the Sinsuran shophouses.

Where properties outside Kota Kinabalu were concerned, a majority of the litterbugs were caught around Inanam town (10), according to him. 

“Eight others were penalised around Kingfisher Plaza and six each were taken to task around the Inanam Business Centre, as well as the shops at University Plaza.”