Broken wall neglected

Fed up: Chin showing the rubble behind his house which has yet to be repaired by authorities despite numerous complaints.

Source: http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Community/2014/07/16/Broken-wall-neglected-Resident-files-more-than-20-complaints-in-three-years-but-to-no-avail/ (BY STEVEN DANIEL 16/7/2014)

Three years after a drunk driver smashed into a sound barrier behind a house along the MRR2 highway in Kepong, authorities have yet to repair the wall and the affected houseowner has been living in fear of his property being broken into.

Chin Cheng Giap, 27, who lives with his family in Taman Bukit Maluri, Kepong, has made almost 20 complaints in the past three years to Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to repair the wall but no action has been taken.

“Initially, DBKL said the area was under the jurisdiction of the Public Works Department (JKR) but JKR informed me that it was DBKL’s jurisdiction.

“They have been pushing the issue back and forth to one another for three years while my family and I continue to suffer,” he said.

Chin said his family had to endure the increased noise and air pollution from vehicles passing just metres behind his home, while uncleared rubble was blocking his drain and causing water to stagnate and become a mosquito-breeding ground.

“I am living in a gated-and-guarded community, but now thieves and drug addicts have easy access to my house and my neighbour’s homes because of the huge hole in the wall.

“There was an attempted break-in once and we have been fearful since,” he said during a press conference yesterday attended by Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng.

Lim said he tweeted to several agencies, including the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM), JKR and DBKL, on April 24 about the matter and the victim’s long wait.

After several more tweets, Lim said JKR finally confirmed that the area was within their jurisdiction and acknowledged the mix-up as well as promised to rectify the damage soon.

“Two months on, there is still no action, which is completely unacceptable.

“The minister should take disciplinary action on all relevant officers within JKR for their inefficiency and delay in confirming the area being in JKR’s jurisdiction because they kept pushing the buck to other agencies for years,” said Lim.

He also pointed out that the previous confusion between both parties over jurisdiction, had resulted in the cleanliness of 800m of the highway between Desa Complex and the turning into Taman Bukit Maluri being neglected.

The MP said if JKR did not repair the sound barrier soon, he would raise the issue in Parliament.

“This would be a trivial matter to raise in Parliament but if nothing is done, I would have no other choice but to question the Works Minister in the next sitting,” he said.