KLANG, 5 Jan: The Selangor government will take decisive action against two business premises owners in Jalan Kapar if they still refuse to cooperate with the upgrading of the drainage system towards Sungai Binjai.

The Exco for Investment, Industry (SMI), Trade and Transport, Datuk Teng Chang Khim, said that the project to deepen the existing drains have been disrupted following disturbance from the premises owners when it should have been completed in October last year.

He said that the project to overcome the flooding problem in the area of Sungai Pinang could not be completed because the premises owners closed up the drain to enable them to park second-hand vehicles that are up for sale.

“This project aims to overcome the flooding problem that bothers hundreds of houses in Sungai Pinang, but it could not be completed due to interference from the premises owners on the left and right of the drainage project that is being carried out.

“Because the site to continue the construction is forced to pass through the land of these owners, they have deliberately said that it affects their business and they prevented the contractor’s machinery from entering the construction site.

“It is an unreasonable act because we are upgrading for the sake of public interest. They should provide full cooperation to overcome the flooding problem,” said the Sungai Pinang Assemblyman.

He said this during a visit to the site of the Sungai Binjai upgrading project in Jalan Kapar today.

Chang Khim said that the Klang Municipal Council (MPK) and the Klang District Land Office have been ordered to take decisive action against the encroachment of land in the area to make way for the implementation of the drainage project concerned.

He said that the state government has also taken a friendly approach by waiting for the legalising of the land in the area although the owner of the premises does not have a building permit.

“If they insist on acting unreasonably and being detrimental to the public, I will ask the local authorities to take action against the land and the business premises.

“To continue this project, the state government machinery needs to enter private sites and they were accused of trespassing, but they forgot that this building does not have a permit.

“If the state government can give them time, why can they not cooperate with us,” he said.

The upgrading of the drainage system towards Sungai Binjai by deepening the existing drains from four feet to 12 feet at a cost of about RM357,000, begun last April.

Meanwhile, one of the owners of the premises in the area, Ch’ng Chung Seong, said that he had submitted applications several times to obtain a business permit, but it has not been approved by MPK until now.

However, he said that he will hold a discussion with the state government to ensure that the problem can be solved as soon as possible.

NS