CLEANLINESS is also in the sights of the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) this year, with about 74,000 MGB 120l dustbins to be distributed for free to landed properties as part of a new waste management plan.

MBPJ Solid Waste and Public Cleanliness department director Lee Lih Shyan said the council would also be introducing a food waste composting centre in SS2 next to the hawker centre.

“This would be part of the council’s initiatives to prevent food waste going to the landfills,” he said.

The council would also upgrade its community halls and other public facilities such as the parks and fields.

As the city matures, however, its residents also want greater participation in shaping their city to ensure their needs are in tandem with MBPJ’s aspirations.

At the end of 2016, StarMetro reporter Sheila Sri Priya was selected under the Young Southeast Asia Leadership Initiative to visit the US for six weeks to see how this is done there.

While visiting NewHampshire as a professional fellow, she managed to attend meetings of the Hooksett Town Hall and the New Hampshire State Council.

What caught her attention was that most of the town council meetings were open to public.

Issues were discussed at great length and the public could raise their questions and receive answers on the spot.

“There is a slot for question-and-answer sessions and it was done in an orderly manner,” she said.

Private, council or state development plans were discussed in the open and there were opportunities for the right people to answer questions without interruption.

Public opinion was given great importance with objections by the residents taken very seriously.

At Hooksett Town Hall, one landowner took almost 10 years to get approval from the council to develop his plot of land for a low-density condominium project.

The lengthy period was due to the concerns over the impact the project would have on the town.

While the council did not have a large pool of staff, matters and issues were addressed quickly and efficiently.

Similarly, in the New Hampshire State Council meeting, developers appointed for a state project stood close to an hour to explain why their project needed to go ahead before winter.

Sheila hopes MBPJ could set a precedent by adopting the same open door policy for its meetings.

“Councils should open their meetings for the public to witness and participate over the issues.

“After all, it is the residents who live here and pay their dues. This would create a progressive nation,” said Sheila.

Meanwhile, Gasing Indah Rukun Tetangga (RT) chairman Eric Chew urged MBPJ to set up more free community centres for residents.

“Our RT always ends up paying a hefty sum to the council to use its hall on Jalan 5/46 in Taman Gasing Indah for community activities and other neighbourhood events,” he said.

According to him, the use of council halls is free in other areas, such as those under the jurisdiction of the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ).

He hoped MBPJ would allocate some funds to give them a community centre in Taman Gasing Indah.

“We are one of the most recognised RT in the nation and are known for supporting the police in crime prevention but we do not have a proper base to operate from,” he said.

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Currently, the RT operates from members’ homes and uses restaurants for meetings and other smaller events because renting the MBPJ hall costs them RM650 for four hours.

Meanwhile, Section 10 Residents’ Association president Ronald Danker is hoping for greater improvement in the traffic situation and security in the neighbourhood.

“Jalan Gasing is the main artery for Section 10 and getting in and out of our neighbourhood is a problem during peak and after-school hours, as cars are often double- and triple-parked while waiting to pick students up.

“There have been several snatch thefts and break-ins in Section 10 as well, so more needs to be done in terms of security.

“We hope MBPJ would increase the existing RM6,000 annual allocation for RAs to buy CCTV and security items, as well as to conduct patrolling,” he said.

In terms of landscaping, Danker said MBPJ could do more to improve the new carpark located next to Jalan 10/1.

“This carpark was built for several groups of people to use — LRT commuters, patrons of the nearby shops and parents waiting to pick up or drop off their children at the nearby school.

“However, the bicycle lane at the site isn’t safe as it is also used by motorcycles.

“MBPJ should install a barrier to make it a dedicated lane for bicycles,” he said.

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