City Hall warns: Clear mess inside compound

A rate-payer has been instructed to step up efforts to tend to the land around his vacant house in Taman Luyang Phase 2, given the recurring nuisance created whenever the property becomes unkempt.

A spokeswoman for City Hall’s Health and Environment Department (HED) said he was asked to maintain his compound at least once a month.

She said a notice to this affect was given to the individual this month.

“He has been given some time to fulfil our requirements,” she said.

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“Further action will be taken, should his yard still be overgrown after this grace-period is up.”

She said the agency’s staff would also periodically keep an eye on the premises to determine if the greenery inside was being cleared as it should.

Various building materials strewn around the compound.

The spokeswoman said City Hall officially wrote to the rate-payer following an inspection carried out jointly by the HED and the agency’s Building Control Department on June 11.

“The five-person team noted that both the front and backyard was full of lalang and weeds,” she said.

“Our personnel also observed the presence some heavy machinery and construction material, including sliding doors, window panes, oil drums and empty containers, lying around the compound.”

She said the homeowner was made aware of their observations.

“One of our officers phoned him during the check.

The backyard badly overgrown with long grass and weeds.

“He was asked to deal with the overgrown greenery and clear the building material away from his compound.

“The rate-payer promised to have this done after the movement control order was lifted.”

City Hall has been receiving complaints, on and off, about the mess inside the compound for the past three years.

Some of those living along Lorong Zirafah 3 are displeased about the weeds and overgrown grass which spring up around the house. They fear that the compound might become a potential habitat to rodents like snakes and rats.

Others are unhappy about the piles of building material strewn about the yard. They are concerned that any rain-water collecting among these items might become a breeding ground for Aedes mosquitoes.

One of the officers entering the grounds with the owner’s permission.

Despite relating these misgivings to City Hall, they say the agency has failed to effectively deal with this problem.

The spokeswoman refuted the suggestion about the agency’s inaction, saying that City Hall staff had gone to the premises on several occasions since 2018.

A check of the agency’s records revealed that inspections were carried out in that year, 2019 and 2020, according to her.

She said its City Planning Department first confirmed that building material was being kept at the unoccupied house in September 2018.

“A decision was made, later that month, to draw up an investigation paper (IP) which would allow us to confiscate the items being stored on the grounds,” she said. “There is no further information about the IP but, a year later, the HED became involved in the case.” She said HED officers went to the house on September 25, 2019.

Building materials all over the compound.

“The owner was not around at the time. However, our staff did manage to speak to some of his labourers,” she said.

“These workers promised to inform their boss about City Hall’s requirements on dealing with the mess around the house.”

She said the homeowner was asked to reduce the amount of building material inside his compound by cleaning up the grounds and disposing of any unwanted items.

“The rate-payer was also asked to store the material he wanted to keep in a more orderly manner.”

The spokeswoman said the agency’s Licencing Department was drawn into the problem early last year.

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“The rate-payer was told to stop using the unoccupied house as a store as City Hall did not permit this.

“He was asked to relocate the building material away from the premises.”

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