Muddy problem for Cheras residents

Just a cut out from the newspaper about the land that is higher then the school ground.
Wonder what went wrong when the pibg of the school reported to the respective government department?


Wednesday May 6, 2009

Muddy problem for Cheras residents
By CHARLES FERNANDEZ

EARTHWORK on a 10ha plot of land is causing residents of four bungalows along Jalan Datuk Haji Harun in Taynton View, Cheras, sleepless nights. The students and staff of a secondary school in the area are also uneasy.

The area, once a flat land and right behind the bungalows and SMK Seri Mutiara, was used to dump earth and over the years has become a hill.
Now a contractor is carrying out earthwork and this has caused the soil on the hill to loosen when it rains.

Mud then flows down the slope and into the compounds of the school and drains behind the bungalows.

The school is only about 50m away from the site, while the bungalows are separated by a huge drain which is now blocked with earth.

Several lorries were seen transporting sand from the area and these stopped coming when they saw City Hall officials conducting a survey with Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai and reporters.

It is learnt that the land is being cleared for the construction of several bungalows.
According to a resident, who wanted to be known as Lim, he has been living in the area for the past 20 years and has seen different contractors attempt to clear the land in the last 10 years.

“The land used be on level with the bungalows but because of the dumping activities, it is now higher than the roof of my house. My back view is also completely blocked,” said Lim.
Lim said whenever a contractor failed to complete the job, the area turned into a dumping ground for earth until another contractor came along.

“The empty land also serves as a dumping ground for old household furniture and construction debris,” he said.

Housewife Rita Lee, 62, said the drains behind the units were covered with mud and although the residents had complained to the authorities, there was no action taken.

“City Hall has been urged to issue a stop-work order to the contractor,” said Tan.

A City Hall officer, who declined to be named, said the contractor had not obtained the development order which was the pre-requisite before any earthwork was done.

“We will survey the area to ensure there are no more illegal activities on the land,’’ the officer said.