Solution to illegal extensions

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THE Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) will give a one-year period for those with illegal extensions or renovations to submit their applications to the council.

This latest move is to resolve any illegal extensions, land encroachment and neighbourly disputes.

A counter will be opened from Oct 31 at the Menara MPAJ lobby for submissions and information.

Council president Datuk Mohamad Yacob Mohamad said it would take seven days for the council to process any approval of permits following mutual agreements between disputing neighbours.

Down it goes: A file picture of an excavator tearing down an illegal extension at an apartment.

“This applies for all houses with renovation being carried out as well as those built on no-man’s land, which can be given a temporary approval.

“We have had cases where the joint management bodies (JMB) have asked us to tear down certain structures, so if there was anything that doesn’t comply with the rules and regulations, it will be brought down.

“We want to reduce the use of middlemen in such disputes and a minimal fine will be imposed against those who fail to comply,” Mohamad said at the MPAJ full board meeting yesterday.

MPAJ is also looking into changing the schedule for its garbage collection especially for bulk waste.

Mohamad said that Monday was a good day for bulk waste collection as people often did major house cleaning over the weekends.

He added that they would also make some arrangements to the scheduled time of waste collection that best suited the community.

At present, bulk waste is collected on Saturdays while household garbage is collected on alternate days depending on the areas.

“We receive an average of five complaints a day.

“We strongly advise people to dispose of their waste properly especially in strata areas with a dedicated garbage disposal site. We ask the JMBs to play their role in helping us,” he added.

Mohamad also spoke about the extension of the Besraya highway from Pandah Indah and Pandan Jaya towards Istana Negara.

He said the 3.5km stretch in Ampang would be completed by 2014 as initial works had already begun.

“The project is to improve the traffic flow and reduce congestion on the Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2) southbound towards Kuala Lumpur.

“We want the builders to address a few issues such as reducing the volume of noise during late night construction as well as to consider building a noise barrier around the housing areas and some landscaping,” he said.

When asked about the completion of the MRR2 upgrading work, Mohamad said the project would probably be completed by December, earlier then the scheduled February next year.

He said a new U-turn ramp was built near the Flat 700 for those wanting to head to Tesco or Hulu Kelang.

“People will have to make use of the U-turn as the turning near Pandan Jaya has been diverted. Right now, people can’t see the whole flow yet but once it is completed, they will experience a smoother traffic on the MRR2,” Mohamad said.

It was mentioned that MPAJ received the highest Accountability Index Award grade by the Auditor General’s Report for Selangor for having the best finance management.

The MPAJ toll-free line is 1-800-22-8100 or call the hotline 03-4296 8007/ 8044 for any complaints.