Metro

Tuesday February 10, 2009

Mohammad says Ampang will soon get its own local plan

By FAZLEENA AZIZ


THE last few years have seen the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) hogging the headlines mostly for the wrong reasons such as allowing development at green lungs and hillslopes, the demolition of the Sri Maha Kaliamman Temple at Kampung Baru Taman Tasek and the recent Bukit Antarabangsa landslide incident.

The council is determined to improve its image and work closely with all stakeholders to ensure better service to ratepayers.

In an exclusive interview with StarMetro, MPAJ president Datuk Mohammad Yacob says the council will have its local plan by the end of the year to ensure proper planning of all development projects.

We have planted over 100,000 trees and will continue to make Ampang more green... MOHAMMAD YACOB

Ampang, which is the main town in MPAJ’s jurisdiction, has three main areas, namely Pandan Indah (administration), Ampang Point (business) and Melawati (residential).

MPAJ president Datuk Mohammad Yacob said he hoped to see Ampang re-developed into a more organised town similar to Shah Alam and Subang Jaya.

“We are looking at the possibility of rebuilding and redeveloping parts of the municipality. Ampang does not have a local plan but we are in the midst of drafting one with the help of the Town and Country Planning Department.

“By the end of the year, it should come into place and we, like other councils, will take into account public opinion as well hold public hearings on the matter,” Mohammad said.

He added that as there would be spillover effects from the Draft Kuala Lumpur Plan 2020. There will be some overlap with MPAJ’s local plan mainly because of the proximity of the commercial side of Ampang to Kuala Lumpur.

Problems in Ampang

Among the obstacles faced by the council is the lack of cooperation from the local community, particularly with regards to cleanliness and hygiene.

“The residents associations and Village Development Committees have to play a pro-active role to help the council address the problems faced by the people. They have to help oversee the public facilities and ensure they are not vandalised.”

Mohammad added that it was imperative that residents do their part in taking care of the environment in which they resided.

The road system and heavy traffic are also major problems in Ampang.

“We are looking at ways to imrove the public transport system like LRT and buses.

Scenic view: A view of Pandan Indah, the administrative area under Ampang.

“In the draft KL plan 2020, there is an LRT up to Zoo Negara and we would like to see it come up to Ampang Point.

“We also do not have control over the volume of cars and, if we were to build new roads, they would have to be elevated all the way.

“Unfortunately, when the Ampang township was formed back then, there was no proper planning hence these are the effects,” he said.

Delivery system

Mohammad said the MPAJ had implemented the suggestions by the Special Task Force to Facilitate Business (Pemudah) such as attending to public complaints.

“The number of complaints has reduced. We had 5,000 complaints in 2007 but last year we only had about 4,000,” he said, adding that the bulk of the complaints were about infrastructure related to clogged drains, faulty street lights and poor road condition.

“Infrastructure requires periodic maintenance and involves high costs. For example, if we were to improve the whole drainage system in Ampang, it will cost us RM1bil.

“Sometimes people are not satisfied because their expectations are beyond our capacity. Nevertheless, we always try to solve the problem before it becomes worse,” Mohammad said.

He added that MPAJ had a problem in revenue collection as 90% of its area was residential .

All set: Jalan Bukit Antarabangsa, which was reopened in early Jan.

“We have to find other ways to accommodate the budget,” he said.

Hillside development

Mohammad said most of the hillside areas within MPAJ were developed many years ago and the effects were only surfacing now, “They did not zone the hillside areas as slopes or open field areas. Our policies on this are only five years old and it would be better to have a clear government policy on this matter.

“It is not fair to blame the council when a mishap occurs as the consultants of the projects should also be held accountable since they were the ones who made the recommendations in the first place,” he added.

He pointed out that landowners were responsible for maintaining and strengthening hillslopes.

On the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide, Mohammad said it served no purpose pointing fingers and what was important was to carry out effective remedial work.

“We are upgrading the drainage and irrigation system as well as the roads.

“On the slope works, the Public Works Department has yet to submit its report.

“We are working closely with the PWD slope unit and Ikram to monitor the Bukit Antarabangsa area,” he said.

On the 15 areas in Ampang deemed unsafe by Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim last year, Mohammad said a study was being done to identify the risk-prone areas.

He said once the study was completed, the council would inform the affected owners on the risk and direct them to strengthen the slopes.

Mohammad also proposed that there should be an agency to monitor hillside areas like what is practised in Hong Kong.

“This should be considered as, at the council level, our expertise on hillslope development is limited,” he said.

Landscape development is a priority for Mohammad and the council has embarked on a project to plant more trees in the municipality.

“In five years, people can expect to see changes in the landscape.

“We have planted over 100,000 trees and will continue to make Ampang more green.

On a personal note, Mohammad added that it was not easy to be a council president, especially in Ampang.

“It is certainly a very challenging job. During the recent incidents, we had to bear a lot of on our shoulders.

“We are very happy with the help and support from the police, army, fire and rescue department, Smart Team and non-governmental organisations in Bukit Antara­bangsa,” he said.

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