GIBLET PLANNING TO TEAR DOWN OUR FENCE

Threat to tear down 'illegal barricade'
From the NST - 2009/07/08

By Noel Achariam

Shopowners say the locked gate at the entrance of the commercial area has affected their business. — Picture by P.C. Lim

SUBANG JAYA: A feud is brewing among business operators and members of the Residents' Association of USJ 11/3.

Some business operators and residents at USJ 11/3K want the drum barricade put up in their area by the Residents' Association to be removed. They claimed that the barricade was illegal and had threatened to tear it down if nothing is done.The Residents' Association, however, claimed that they had the support of the majority to install the barricade for security reasons.

One of those who is against having the barricade is restaurant operator Gilbert Lim. Lim said the association had no right to install the barricade and a lock gate at the access road to the business area. "We are not living in a war-torn country to have our area barricaded," he said. Lim said that the traders would give the Residents' Association two weeks to take down the barricade.

If the association does not comply, a contractor will be hired to tear down the barricade. He said the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ), in a letter dated Oct 20, 2008, had instructed the Residents' Association not to obstruct the road. However, in the same letter, MPSJ town planning director Ismail Muhamad had allowed the Residents' Association to close the road from midnight to 6am."It has been more than eight months and nothing has been done.

Our business has dropped drastically and our customers are shunning the area because the main entry points into our area have been blocked," Lim said. It was learnt that the drum barricade was set up in September last year. Lim claimed the Residents' Association went a step further by installing the gates at the entry points to their business premises two weeks ago. "First the drum barricade and now the gates. The Residents' Association has no right to take the law into their own hands," he said.

It was reported that the gated and guarded community was implemented by the Residents' Association in September last year following complaints by residents about the increasing crime rate in the area. Muhamad Kamal Abdullah, 57, who moved into USJ11/3Q 13 years ago, agreed with Lim that it was wrong for the Residents' Association to turn the neighbourhood into a gated community. Kamal said that with the current entry points blocked, residents from around the neighbourhood would need to make a detour to get to the shops. "Moving around USJ has become a hassle. I don't understand why they have to cage us up," he said.

SS14 Residents' Association crime watch acting chairman Joe Mahinder Singh said any public road that is barricaded is against the law. "I pay road tax so I'm allowed to use the road. This is a public road and no one has the right to block the road except the police," he said. Mahinder said that USJ was not designed to be a gated and guarded community but an open concept neighbourhood with access to many roads. "If the crime rate is high, then it's up to the police to increase patrol in the area."

USJ11/3 Residents' Association chairman Ng Peng Hin, however, said that the association had the consent of 90 per cent of the business operators to put up the barricades."We have written consent from the business operators there. There are only a handful who are causing problem," he said. Ng said that the gated and guarded community is vital because of the high crime rate in the area.

He said that there were 11 entry points into USJ11 and this had contributed to the high crime rate including snatch thefts, robberies and break-ins. "We opened the roads recently and a resident was robbed. We are not going to open the roads again," he said. Ng also said that the Residents' Association had discussed the matter with MPSJ.

The council could not be reached for comments.