Jumaat, 13 April 2012

Hannah Yeoh

Hannah Yeoh


Section 12 rezoning plan raises eyebrows

Posted: 13 Apr 2012 11:35 AM PDT

Article in the Malay Mail : Residents furious to learn five parcels of land will be turned to fully commercial


WHERE IS THE TRANSPARENCY? Hannah (centre) with Narayanan (right) voicing their opposition to the new development plans. Standing on the right is Richard Yeoh — Pic: Ashraf Shamsul Azlan

PETALING JAYA: Residents of Section 12 here were shocked to find a notice from the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) in their mailboxes on Sunday informing them of a rezoning proposal.

The notice said five parcels of land in the area would be rezoned from commercial and residential, to fully commercial.

Puzzled by this development, Subang Jaya assemblyman Hannah Yeoh and Residents Association of Section 12 Petaling Jaya president Datuk A. Narayanan have called for an explanation and transparency from the council and mayor Datuk Roslan Sukiman.

Yeoh is looking after Bukit Gasing, which includes Section 12, following the death of assemblyman Edward Lee.

Narayanan said the residents were against the plan to rezone the five parcels of land.

"Our main concern is the traffic congestion will get worse and the security of residents and their properties will be jeopardised because of the increased number of people, he said.

He said the residents had not been informed of the proposal earlier.

"None of them was called up or briefed by the council on the proposal to rezone the five parcels of land," he said.

Even councillor Richard Yeoh, who was present at the press conference, claimed to have no knowledge of it.

"Not only did the council fail to follow proper procedures, it should have treated the residents better instead of placing the notice containing insufficient and confusing information in their mailboxes," he said.

"The information was on a small piece of paper and they call that a proper announcement?"

Hannah clarified that an announcement was published in an English daily on March 29 but it was "too small and lacking in vital information" on the rezoning proposal.

"The announcement was also made without any consultation with the residents or councillors," she said.

"Despite raising the matter with the mayor, the council proceeded to issue them with notices regarding the rezoning plan in their mailboxes.

"The notices did not contain any additional information."

Checks on the council website revealed the rezoning proposal covered an empty lot next to Armada Hotel, which is presently gazetted for a petrol station and parking lot, the Filem Negara land, the controversial Universiti Malaya land and two other parcels of land in Section 12.

Last month, Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim told The Malay Mail the proposed RM1.25 billion Universiti Malaya Health Metropolis in Section 12 would boost Petaling Jaya's credentials as a service-oriented city.

He had said the council should call for a town hall meeting to hear of any objections before the area gets converted into a commercial zone.

On Dec 7, the council's One-Stop Committee (OSC) rejected the proposed development for contravening basic planning laws as the residential area had not been rezoned.

Universiti Malaya vice-chancellor Tan Sri Dr Ghauth Jasmon later submitted an appeal to the Selangor Appeals Board on Jan 12.

The medical hub was proposed to be built in Jalan 12/5, which is now occupied by 30 bungalows and zoned as residential or limited commercial.

Residents opposed the project claiming it would result in heavy traffic and parking woes in the otherwise quiet neighbourhood bordering busy Jalan Universiti.

FOUND! Source of stench in Subang Jaya identified

Posted: 13 Apr 2012 11:13 AM PDT

Article by SJ Echo :

SUBANG JAYA, APRIL 13 2012: THE agony of breathing in a foul stench in the night and early morning for almost a week by Subang Jaya residents will soon be over.

The source of the 'ammonia-like' stench which lingered in the air especially during the nights and early morning around SS13, SS14, SS18, USJ2, USJ3 and even USJ4 since April 7 has been discovered by the Department of Environment Selangor.

"Our team was mobilised to Subang Jaya on April 10 after receiving complaints from the public and reports from the SS17 Fire & Rescue Department and ADUN Subang Jaya Hannah Yeoh of the mysterious stench that affected many areas in the neighbourhood."

"Investigations from our checks of all the factories in the SS13 industrial zone took us to the IWK oxidation pond in SS13," Selangor Department of Environment enforcement officer Zulaikha Mokhtar said to SJ Echo.

She said many of the aerators in the two oxidation ponds were not function.

"There are supposed to be 5 aerators in each pond running at all times. We found only one aerator functioning in one pond while the other only had 3 aerators running."

"We have requested a full report from IWK on this and have asked them to immediately get their aerators running," she said, adding that IWK had also been asked to service and maintain the facility regularly to avoid such an incident from recurring.

Zulaikha said due to the breakdown of the aerators, there was insufficient oxygen to treat the waste in the oxidation pond, resulting in the stench that left many residents with the agony of having to bear with the inconvenience.

At least one child with asthma problem had to be rushed to a clinic for medical attention on April 7 evening because he encountered breathing difficulties.

"IWK officials were supposed to revert to us by Thursday (April 12) but we have yet to hear from them. Our officiers will be folllowing up with them today (April 13)."

"Once we have concluded our investigations, we will decide on the next course of action to be taken against IWK if they are found to have been negligent," she said.

Zulaikha urged residents in the surrounding areas to stay indoors especially in the evenings for the next few days while repair work was carried out at the oxidation pond.

"It will take a few days for the repairs to be completed and the aerators running as they should. The pond should not be emitting any stench by then," she added.

On April 7 and 8, the SS17 Bomba and police received numerous calls complaining of the stench. Personnel from both agencies went around looking for the source of the problem, right into the wee hours of Sunday morning. They came back empty-handed but managed to narrow down the source of the stench to the SS13 industrial area.

A report was lodged with the Department of Environment.

Illegal structure in USJ 6 park REMOVED

Posted: 13 Apr 2012 10:07 AM PDT

The illegal concrete base found in USJ 6 has finally been demolished by MPSJ. This photo was sent by MPSJ to me on 12 April 2012. 

Article in NST - Concrete base to be removed


A TEAM of contractors tasked by Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) to connect electricity supply to a structure at the USJ 6/5 park was stopped in their tracks as that concrete base was declared illegal by Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ).

Subang Jaya assemblyman Hannah Yeoh speaking to the contractors about the illegal structure at the park. Pic courtesy of SJ Echo

The contractors came right after Subang Jaya assemblyman Hannah Yeoh had a press conference last Friday to air the grouses of USJ 6 residents and park users who were unhappy about the structure in the middle of the playground.

Residents claimed that earth works of the structure, purportedly for a telecommunications tower, began at the end of last month.

When residents returned to their homes after the Chinese New Year celebrations earlier this month, they were shocked to see a concrete base, measuring less than two metres high, erected at the playground.

Yeoh said checks with the council revealed that no approval had been given for its construction in the field.

The structure was deemed illegal and was sealed by the council. The council had on Thursday posted a warning notice for all activities on the site to cease.

During a brief discussion with residents, Yeoh suggested that instead of demolishing the concrete base, it could be used for the construction of floodlights.

Council engineering department director Ismail Shafie agreed with Yeoh, adding that it could be made into a decorative light pole or something else that could benefit the residents.

However, many of the residents did not like the idea and called for the structure to be demolished. Yeoh, Ismail and zone councillor Rajiv Rishyakaran jointly agreed to their request.

"I would like to advise residents to alert the council if they see construction taking place without display boards giving details of the construction work."

Yeoh said Ismail, who got the name of the company which built the concrete base from the electricity supply contractor, will investigate the matter.

Yeoh called on the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to educate the public about the hazards of telecommunication towers.


Photo courtesy of SJ Echo

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