Metro

Friday October 2, 2009

Disappearing course

By STUART MICHAEL


MORE than just golf is taking place at the Kundang Lakes Country Club near Rawang.

Residents in the surrounding area claim that sand-mining activities are also being conducted at the golf club in the last few months.

They say that excavators digging up sand and loading them onto lorries could be seen near the 18th hole, opposite the temporary clubhouse and a driving range.

A resident from a nearby village said he was assaulted by several men when he went to the site to complain about the sand-mining activity several weeks ago.

Another local resident said numerous complaints had been made to the Gombak Land Office but no action has been taken so far even though officers from the land office had visited the site.

Defaced: A huge hole filled with water has replaced one part of the Kundang Lakes golf course as a result of the sand-mining activity.

He claimed that the officer from the Gombak Land Office had told him that nothing could be done as the activity was taking place on private land.

The StarMetro team, during a visit to the site last weekend, saw lorries entering the site which was surrounded by zinc hoarding.

The lorries entered the area empty but came out with a full load of sand covered with plastic sheet.

The goings-on at the golf club have escaped people’s attention, mainly because construction work on the Kuala Lumpur-Kuala Selangor Expressway is under way nearby. Earthworks on the highway is being carried out just beside the golf course, with a lot of lorries coming and going daily.

The club near Kampung Baru Kundang in Kundang is well known for its golf course which commands a scenic view of lakes that were once mining pools. It goes without saying that there are tonnes of sand lying beneath the golf course.

Mountain of sand: The site of the sandmining activities at the Kundang Lakes Country Club near Rawang

A golfer, who requested not to be named, said he was happy six months ago when he saw what he thought was earthworks for a new clubhouse being carried out opposite the 18th hole.

“I thought we were finally getting our promised clubhouse,” he said.

“One day I was playing at the 9th hole when I noticed that the excavators had dug out all the sand there, leaving a huge hole that is now a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes.”

He added that the excavators moved to the driving range last month and started digging for sand.

“It started with half the driving range and eventually, the entire driving range was cordoned off with zinc hoarding and it was no more,’’ he said.

Another golfer, who also wished not to be named, said the club had been telling golfers since 1993 that they could expect a clubhouse to be built.

“Instead they are now taking away our driving range,” he said.

He wondered why the club had not built the clubhouse in the last 16 years even though it had some 300 paying members.

It seems that many club members have heard rumours that the sand mining activity will take over the first nine holes of the course.

He urged the land office and state government to act quickly on this matter.

Asked to comment on the allegations, Kundang Lakes Country Club general manager Kula Chelliah said the sand mined inside the area was for the golf course’s use.

“We are going to build a 400m driving range in the area that has been cordoned off.

“The area will be opened by January next year.

“We will also start work on a new nine-hole golf course and a club next year.

“Since this place is a sand goldmine and the sand is on the club’s land, we are using it to build another nine-hole course and a clubhouse.

“As far as I know, the sand is openly piled up here and no lorries should go in or out of the hoarded up area. If there are any lorries doing this, it is not within my knowledge,’’ he said, adding that the golf club members knew about this.

Asked whether the club had the state’s approval for the ongoing work, Kula replied that the club had submitted a proposal and it was still pending approval.

Kula added that in the future, the club wanted to get approval from the state to sell the sand.

Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) public relations director Mohd Zin Masoad said the council had not received any application from Kundang Lakes Country Club on earthworks and even development in the area.

“We were also not notified about the new nine-hole course, the driving range and the clubhouse.

“We will be sending an officer to visit the site immediately to check on the status of the project.

“If they are found to be flouting the law, they could be fined up to RM25,000 under Section 70A of the Local Government Act for conducting earthworks without the council’s approval,’’ he said.

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