Negri Sembilan transportation, housing and local government development committee chairman J. Arul Kumar showing some of the structures built in the risky areas that do not have the CCC.
SEREMBAN: The operators of 47 chalets and resorts built in risky areas such as slopes in the state have until the end of this year to legalise their businesses, says J. Arul Kumar.
The state transportation, housing and local government development committee chairman warned that if they did not have the certificate of completion and compliance (CCC) by Jan 1, 2025, they would have to cease operations.
"We have been engaging with these operators for years but none of them have actually obtained the CCC.
"Of the 47 operators, only 12 have come forward to seek advice or part approvals to continue operating.
"The state exco had during its last meeting on Sept 4 decided to give them four more months to comply, failing which they will have to face the consequences," he told reporters at his office at Wisma Negri.
He said 40 operators were based in Seremban with four in Jelebu and three in Rembau.
Arul Kumar said for those operating in the Seremban area, the local authorities began engaging with them since 2019 after a 15-year-old French-Irish teenager who suffered from learning difficulties disappeared from a resort in Pantai Hills in August of that year.
Nora Anne Quoirin's remains were found 10 days after her disappearance.
He said the state authorities had in May 2022 again asked all the operators to come forward to apply for the CCC and this was followed by another directive from the state executive committee in January last year.
However, the state executive committee then did not set a time frame to the operators to comply with the directive.
"It is unfortunate that the majority have never even made an attempt to apply for the CCC.
"We have to act because we need to ensure these areas, some of which are built along rivers, are safe for tourists," he said.
He said the Seremban Municipal Council had also invited the 40 operators for a meeting in February but only 12 showed up.
Arul Kumar said checks on the Internet showed that the operators had continued to run their operations despite being served with notices.
Asked what could possibly be the reasons for the nonchalant attitude, Arul Kumar said this was probably due to most of them operating on land with agriculture status.
"I have been made to understand that some of them cannot even get approvals from professional bodies for the safety of structures," he said.
Arul Kumar said the authorities had to act as it would be blamed if any untoward incident were to happen at any of the resorts or chalets.
He said the state government was all for promoting tourism activities including eco-tourism but the priority was the safety of all persons within the area.
"It is not our intention to close these places but they must obtain the CCC so that we know the structures are safe for occupancy.
"We also need to know if their business contributed to traffic congestion, if the waste was properly managed and that their operations did not inconvenience surrounding communities or disrupt other development," he added.
