BY BAVANI M
AS THE new year dawns, Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Mohd Amin Nordin Abd Aziz speaks to StarMetro about the progress made in 2016, and shares plans for what city folk can expect in 2017.
What’s new?
Mohd Amin said the city was preparing for the upcoming SEA Games 2017 in August and preparations to beautify the city had already started.
The work will include painting kerbs along main roads, constructing new railings and installing lighting in selected areas such as Bukit Bintang, Jalan Raja Abdullah and Jalan Raja Laut.
“Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) will also be carrying out landscaping works in key areas,” he said.
The mayor said the multi-million ringgit Taman Pudu Ulu Recreation Park wading pool, which is almost ready, would be the venue for petanque, a game that involves tossing or rolling hollow steel balls as close as possible to a small wooden ball while standing inside a circle with both feet on the ground.
“We expect the facility to be ready by February,” Mohd Amin said, adding that upgrading work was also being carried out at the Cheras football stadium and Titiwangsa stadium as well as Dataran Merdeka where archery would be held.
DBKL will go on a clamping blitz once the deadline passes for drivers to pay their summonses. – filepic
The mayor also said two abandoned projects would be revived.
Plaza Rakyat, which has been abandoned for 20 years, will finally see construction starting this year.
“We are waiting for the plans from the new developer and we are confident the project will start soon.
“Another long-overdue project is the Kampung Puah project, which has been stalled for 15 years, as there is a developer willing to develop it,” he said.
Qualified city folk can also afford to buy new homes as plans are in the pipeline to build more affordable houses, priced from RM250,000 to RM300,000.
“For new housing developments, developers are required to ensure that at least 30% is allocated for affordable housing.
“In the next five years, you will see these houses ready. There are also some projects that we are negotiating for units priced from RM180,000 to RM198,000,” Mohd Amin said.
“Ensuring that everyone is able to afford a home in Kuala Lumpur has been one of my priorities so we have accelerated some of the paperwork required to make sure these commitments are met,” he said.
The mayor also highlighted the newly refurbished Panggung Anniversary in Taman Botany Perdana, which was a popular hang-out for city folk to watch concerts and plays in the 1970s and 1980s.
“We welcome residents to come by and enjoy cultural shows and dance festivals there,” he said.
Buck up!
Mohd Amin also warned restaurant operators in the city that the rules for business licence applications would be tightened to ensure quality.
“Of late, news of dirty restaurants is becoming shameful. It is not just the outlets, but the filthy drains outside their premises.
“We are not going to tolerate it. Enforcement will continue and operators who fail to install grease traps will face action,” he said, adding that City Hall would take over maintenance for all the grease traps and charge business owners for the service.
The fee will be set according to the food outlet’s grease trap usage and, for a restaurant, would amount to about RM125 a month or RM1,500 a year, which would be linked to the premises licence fee.
“Now, when restaurant owners renew their licences, they will have to pay the grease trap maintenance fee as well.
“Failure to do so will result in the businesses becoming illegal and we will shut it down,” he said.
Pay up please!
Last November, DBKL encouraged Kuala Lumpur residents to settle their compound notices for traffic offences and gave city folk until the end of February 2017 to do so.
The offer was that for offences incurred from 2007 to 2011, the charge would be RM10 per ticket.
For offences committed from 2012 to 2014, the compound is RM20 and those incurred from 2015 onwards would cost RM30.
“Honestly, we have been too lenient. We give too many chances for people to settle their summonses, but many still refuse to do so.
“City folk owe more than RM5.4mil in unsettled compounds and we are no longer going to be tolerant after the deadline,” he said, adding that officers will be going on a clamping blitz after the deadline to nab parking dodgers.
New Blood
DBKL will also be rolling out leadership programmes to start training capable officers with potential to take leadership roles within the local authority.
“About 16 senior directors and executive directors have retired or are due to retire, and some of these individuals were the cream of the crop.
“We need to start grooming the right candidates now,” Mohd Amin said.
“Young officers do not realise what the civil service is all about and now after the negative publicity over recent corruption cases, we want to restore some dignity and pride in City Hall.”
The mayor said it was crucial to start training senior officers now as the city needed officers who are qualified and know their facts while being media savvy.
In 2016, senior directors such as DBKL project management executive director Dr Leong Siew Mun, Datuk Mohd Saufi Muhamad and Civil Engineering and Urban Transport Department director Hew See Seng had retired. Prior to that, executive directors Datuk Normah Malik and Datuk Tan Keng Chok had also retired.
Restoring Pride
“We are working with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to counter corruption in DBKL, and contractors are made to sign integrity pledges as well.
“We are monitoring their (officers and contractors) performance, especially those who seem to be living beyond their means.
“I keep telling officers not to cheat, because if they get caught, the consequences are dire.
Amin Nordin says that businesses have until September to start using biodegradable packaging. – filepic
“In the crematorium issue, for instance, many said the fine of one day’s salary was a mere slap on the wrist and too lenient but this is not true. To a civil servant, it is a very serious punishment.
“A person fined even one day’s salary will be barred from getting a promotion for the next three years.
“There are many senior officers in their 50s who have been barred from promotions due to various offences,” he said.
Green City
On polystyrene-free Kuala Lumpur, the mayor said enforcement to ban polystyrene in the city would begin and advised licensed businesses to ready themselves to go green.
“It will be compulsory from Sept 1 onwards.
“There will not be any second chances after that.
“Hawkers and traders were already given time to start using biodegradable packaging last year, so there are no more excuses.
“All in all, Kuala Lumpur has done pretty well in 2016.
“There were some bumps along the way, but we did okay, even winning several awards for sports, tourism and for our gardens and that is something to be proud of.
“Let us make Kuala Lumpur the best of the best for 2017. I would also like to wish everyone a Happy New Year!”
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