Friday February 22, 2013

Clean up or face action, owners of abandoned houses warned

By YU JI
yuji@thestar.com.my

‘Costly’ properties: The owners of seven abandoned houses in Petra Jaya could face fines totalling millions of ringgit, according to the Kuching North City Commission.

KUCHING: Owners of abandoned houses have been urged to come to the Kuching City North Commission (DBKU) to see what can be done to make the properties friendlier to the neighbourhood.

According to DBKU, it received at least one complaint related to these houses every five weeks.

Last year, public complaints ranged from overgrown weeds at these houses to more serious concerns like rat and mosquito infestation.

In a media statement yesterday — which listed 10 vacant houses that have been most recent subjects of public complaints — DBKU said its patience was running out.

“Come forward and clean up the vacant houses,” said the statement, which was issued after a DBKU-organised media tour of several vacant houses.

The houses were from Taman Sukma to Jalan Datuk Ajibah Abol, and from Taman Surabaya Indah to Jalan Pisang Barat. DBKU has found owners for a handful of the houses (some are registered to individuals, others to companies), many of whom, have received multiple notices.

The statement, which was titled, “Abandoned houses affect the comfort of residents”, did not say specifically when action would be taken, but made clear that the commission could fine owners RM250 per day from the day the notices expired.

“DBKU will work hard on this matter. Kuching is rightly known as one of the cleanest city in the whole of Malaysia. We will work hard to keep up that public perception, part of which is to ensure all houses are adequately maintained,” the statement said.

It added that public complaints had highlighted that some of the abandoned houses were possible sites of criminal activities.

“Abandoned houses are not good in terms of health and also socially. They are causes and contributing factors of drug abuse, among other woes. For instance, abandoned houses present themselves as areas of theft. We have found many abandoned houses to be missing window frames, electricity cables and many more.

“Some of these houses have also become illegal rubbish dumping sites. Think about the people who have to live around these vacant properties.”

The statement ended with a plea for greater cooperation and for more locals affected by similar problems to lodge complaints.

For more information, visit DBKU’s headquarters at Bukit Siol, or call 082-441 762/ 446 644 or email css@dbku.gov.my.

News

Friday February 22, 2013

Clean up or face action, owners of abandoned houses warned

By YU JI yuji@thestar.com.my

By YU JI
yuji@thestar.com.my