A quick solution needed

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RESIDENTS of SS21/13 in Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya, are tired of piles of rubbish being strewn on the road shoulder opposite their houses.

The row of houses along SS21/13 faces Kg Kayu Ara and the land across the road slopes after the road shoulder.

Damansara Utama Residents and Owners Association (DUROA) Zone A chairman Amajit Singh said over the years, the people staying in the houses at the foot of the slope had extended the buildings.

Many houses have entrances built onto the road shoulder and some permanent structures in the form of a small hut and a concrete square have appeared.

“These structures have become a dumping ground for the people living there. There are piles of rubbish along the road and the smell becomes quite unbearable at times,” he said.

Unsightly: The residents say that the makeshift dumpster has resulted in rubbish strewn all over the road. Note the “No Dumping of Rubbish” signboard put up by MBPJ on the right

Some patches of empty land were overgrown with weeds and have become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

He said the haphazard construction had caused landslides at several places and the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) had placed gabions to strengthen the slope.

However, many residents staying in the area want a permanent solution to the problem.

“There are some areas where the road shoulder is narrow which makes it dangerous, especially at night. People who are not familiar with the road could fall down the slope,” said Amajit.

He said there used to be a fence put up along the edge of the road but parts of it had been taken down.

He added that the car porches of houses were built on road shoulders that encroached onto the road reserve, causing the road to become narrower, especially the stretch near Jalan SS21/22.

Cars parked on either side of the road worsens the situation and the road would only be wide enough for one car to pass through.

“There is another access road for these houses, Jalan Tanjong, where you enter near the Fella Design building down the road but having access to their houses on SS21/13 road reduces the distance,” he said.

Damansara Utama assemblyman Dr Cheah Wing Yin said many of the structures along that road did not have building plans and it was difficult to contact the land owners as many of the people staying there were just tenants.

MBPJ public relations officer Zainun Zakaria said the officers would visit the site to check the status of the buildings.

Another MBPJ spokersman said the problem of illegal stuctures there was a long-standing issue and would require the cooperation of the council, the police, the Immigration Department and the Drainage and Irrigation Department.

It was also learnt that Alam Flora collected the rubbish at the makeshift structures according to schedule three times a week but the rubbish piles up the very next day.