City Hall cracking down on smokers who litter: SWMD removes container from Lido neighbourhood
CITY Hall is cracking down on smokers who fail to dispose of their cigarette butts responsibly, with 87 tobacco users at commercial centres within its rating-area being upbraided for flicking these remnants into their surroundings last month.
The agency is also keeping tabs on the goings-on in a Lido neighbourhood to ensure that the public do not misuse the common areas there.
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Workers with its Solid Waste Management Department (SWMD) removed a container which had been abandoned on a verge in the housing area last Saturday.
The container in the midst of being transported to City Hall’s depot.
The latter action was prompted by feedback from a rate-payer about the encroachment taking place at the residential property for the past year.
A SWMD spokesman said a total of RM1,540 in compounds was collected from errant smokers during checks made as part of City Hall’s “Ops Bersih” exercise in July.
“Some 77 of them settled their compounds right away, while 10 others elected to do this within the allotted grace-period,” he said.
An errant smoker, who flicked his cigarette butt in this part of Jalan Tugu, is taken to task by City Hall personnel.
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“Between four to five of our inspectors in plain clothes carried out 13 separate inspections between July 2 and July 31.”
These checks involved properties within the City Centre, as well as those in areas ranging from Inanam to Lido, according to him.
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He said those in Kota Kinabalu, included Centre Point Sabah and shophouses in Sinsuran and Kg Air.
SWMD inspectors in the midst of issuing a compound to a litterbug on Jalan Kampung Air 2.
“Forty-five litterbugs were nabbed around Sinsuran, the highest number of wrongdoers for the month.
“Another 31 offenders were caught in the Kg Air area, followed by three around Centre Point.”
When it came to areas outside the City limits, the spokesman said the SWMD team went to Lido and Damai Plaza, as well as shophouses in Likas and the Kionsom area of Inanam.
“Lido and Likas tied for the location with the most offenders. Three litterbugs were caught at each of these locations.”
He said two proprietors at the commercial property in Kionsom were compounded for piling up his/ her unwanted belongings in the common area behind his/ her premises.
The spokesman said RM580 was accrued during “Ops Bersih” checks in June, RM880 in May and RM1,040 in April.
A total of 31 smokers, like the one pictured, were caught by the agency’s staff in July.
“Twenty-eight smokers were nabbed in June, 59 in May and 66 in April.”
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 those who repeatedly disregarded the agency’s calls to refrain from littering in the common areas could wind up having legal action taken against them.
“They will become liable to a fine for as much as RM10,000, if they are found guilty in court.”
Where the container in Taman Tanah Emas was concerned, the spokesman said a private contractor, with a crane affixed to a lorry, was hired to assist the agency’s personnel in shifting the structure to the agency’s depot.
“There was some concern about the structural integrity of container,” he said.
“We did not want the structure to suddenly fall to pieces while it was being moved away as it had been stationary for so long.”
A spokesman for City Hall’s Enforcement Department said the owner of the container would have to settle a compound, as well as the costs City Hall incurred as a result of the relocation, in order to reclaim the structure.
A notice to this affect was affixed to the body of the container on July 16, according to him.
He said a check of the agency’s records showed that this was the second time which its Enforcement officers had done this.
“The owner was first notified to move away his/her container in August 24 last year.
“We had no choice but to impound this structure as both our requests went unheeded.”
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