Security scheme launched in USJ 11/3

From The Star, Tuesday September 30, 2008
By LIM CHIA YING

The gated and guarded community concept has been finally implemented for the residents of USJ 11/3 in Subang Jaya.

According to USJ 11/3 pro tem committee chairman Ng Peng Hin, the security scheme was launched last Saturday.

In addition to the security guards, boom gates, guardhouses and drum gates were put up at entry and exit roads of the neighbourhood.

Ng said the pro tem committee had obtained the consent of more than 70% of the residents staying in houses along the different roads of 11/3 to implement the gated and guarded concept.


First car: The residents at the launch of the gated and guarded community concept at one of the guardhouses in USJ 11/3 in Subang Jaya.

“Right now, we have over 70% of households consenting to the scheme. We expect more to endorse it,” Ng said during the launching ceremony at one of the guardhouses.

“The Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) has also informed us that it has no objection when we applied for permission to implement the scheme,” he said.

There are six entry and exit roads leading into the neighbourhood.

Ng said two entry-exit roads would stay open round-the-clock for residents whose vehicles had stickers while visitors would have to register their names at the guardhouse.

Three entry-exit roads will only be open at designated hours, between 6am to 9am and between 5pm and 8pm.

He said the final entry-exit point at USJ 11/3C would be closed permanently.

Asked if this would go down well with the public and other neighbouring residents, Ng said the pro tem committee could not satisfy everyone.

“We are doing it for our own community due to the high crime rate here. As for parents who send and pick up their children from kindergartens in this neighbourhood, they will be given a service pass,” Ng said.

“Newspaper vendors and mobile vegetable sellers are allowed to come in freely,” he said.

Currently, each paying household contributes RM50 a month and is given three stickers to display on the cars.

The non-paying households are still given a sticker each.

Also present at the launch was Subang Jaya assemblyman Hannah Yeoh, USJ Residents Association vice-president Melvin Lee and several police officers.

Yeoh said in her speech that she hoped the residents would give their cooperation to the pro tem committee.

“A lot of hard work is involved to get this concept started. I’ve come across many disputes among residents associations that is hindering the progress of community efforts,” she said.

Yeoh said she had also enclosed a letter of support for the pro tem committee in its application to the Registry of Societies (ROS) to be registered as a residents association.

Lee told those present about his personal traumatic experience as a victim of a break-in when his home was ransacked while he was away during the festive period.

“As a victim myself, I can personally relate to how traumatic the experience is when people break into your home,” Lee said.

“This was why the USJ 5 community, where I am from, started our own patrolling and later paid security.

“Now it is an entirely enclosed neighbourhood,” he said.

“I support this because it was initiated out of necessity. You must not wait for something to happen to you before you do something,” Lee said.

“More than just gated and guarded, as residents, we should get closer, work together, know our neighbours better, and look out for each other,” he said.

Meanwhile, business operators in the neighbourhood and residents from neighbouring areas have expressed unhappiness over the gated scheme.

A business owner, whose restaurant has been around for more than five years, said he had no objection to the concept but it should be implemented tactfully.

“I was not informed about this although I had been asking the committee over and again if the closure of roads will affect our business,” he said.

“We are not condemning the scheme, just that as business operators, we should also be given due consideration.

“What I’m concerned now is the safety of road junctions, and that our customers take a longer route to come and eat. This would affect our business,” he said.

A resident staying in neighbouring USJ 11/4 thinks that complaints will come sooner or later if things are not rectified as inconvenience is being caused.

Ng had said earlier that some exits had to be closed to control expenses of hiring patrolling guards.

“I’m aware of the objections because people like free-flow convenience.

“I hope everyone can be patient and understand the importance of security,” he said.