Kajang council thinking outside the box to solve problems

There is a need to come up with better enforcement strategies as present conventional methods require a lot of manpower, says Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) president Najmuddin Jemain.

He was responding to councillor Lim Kim Eng’s question on measures to take down illegal banners in her area at yesterday’s full board meeting.

She said contractors paid to put up new banners would just rip the old ones down, discarding them by the road and eventually, the materials ended up clogging drains.

Najmuddin said the banners were removed from lamp posts and poles every day but the enforcement team was mulling over less labour-intensive methods.

“We have thought about designing new posts that do not have space for banners or installing devices that can deliver electric shocks.

“However, the former would be too expensive and the latter, a safety hazard.

“We will listen to anyone who can provide a safe and economical solution,” he said.

One cost-friendly solution was used to stop fly tippers at an illegal dumpsite inlet at Black Water Lake in Bandar Mahkota Cheras.

As the council has nine other illegal dumping hotspots to monitor, Municipal Services and Health Department director Shariman Mohd Nor ordered a deep trench to be dug across the inlet road into the site, effectively cutting off access.

On traffic congestion at the entrance and exit of Jalan Alam Sari and Jalan Reko, Najmuddin said meetings between developer Setia Alam Sari, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Public Works Department had resulted in several solutions.

For the short-term, the developer will prepare a detailed plan to widen the road at the bridge and Jalan Sungai Tangkas intersection.

Najmuddin added that for the long term, a flyover on Jalan Reko to UKM has been proposed, along with widening Jalan Persiaran to three lanes in both directions and building a highway from Putrajaya to Bangi, which falls under the Malaysian Highway Authority’s planning board.

“Many roads in Kajang require upgrades but MPKj’s revenue is not sufficient for that. Presently, half of the revenue has to be reserved for services such as rubbish management,” he said.