The Star Online: Metro: Central
The Star Online: Metro: Central |
| Unstable slopes to be made forest reserve Posted: 17 May 2013 10:17 PM PDT FIFTY plots of vacant bungalow land in Bukit Gasing will be seized under the National Land Code 1965 (NLC 1965) and gazetted as a forest reserve following multiple landslips. Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), following expert advice from geotechnical, civil and structural consultants, will prepare a detailed report on the vacant land that has been classified as Class 4, (slopes with a 25 and 35 degree gradient) and a possible hazard, built or left idle. Mayor Datin Paduka Alinah Ahmad said the council would propose to the Selangor Economic Action Council that the vacant plots with steep slopes be acquired under the NLC to address safety concerns due to extreme soil erosion. "MBPJ will inform owners that their plots will be seized due to public interest. Since it has been classified as Class 4, the land cannot be occupied and no development will be allowed. "The NLC has provisions allowing the state government to seize neglected land," said Alinah. The NLC, together with the Land Acquisition Act (LAA) 1960, empower the respective state governments to acquire private landed properties without having to get consent or agreement from its owners. This is stated in Section 3 of the LAA 1960. The move by MBPJ is a blow to market speculators and landowners who had hoped land value would increase manifold due to shortage of land in Petaling Jaya. In April 2008, the Selangor government banned new developments involving Class 3 and Class 4. Alinah said the landslips had occurred at 20 different sites near Bukit Gasing and said this could be due to development works in Bukit Gasing as well as downpours that triggered the landslips. "MBPJ is left with not much option but to take drastic action. Based on the soil erosion, the plots affected are off Jalan 5/60, Jalan 5/64 and Jalan 5/66," said Alinah. She added that the council had engaged soil experts to ascertain erosion-prone areas which are dangerous. "We have informed the residents of Fraser Towers not to park their cars at the foot of the slopes. Recently, a boulder rolled down and hit a parked car while in another incident, mud and vegetation rolled down the slope and hit a car being driven along Jalan 5/60. "Inspection by geotechnical engineers, who can recognise impending slope failure, is being carried out. As an immediate short-term measure, a gabion wall is being built. This is a better option than nail piling. "Contractors have also started to prune some of the trees on the slope, remove mud that was washed down close to the pavement as well as widen the drain along Jalan 5/60 from a V-shape to a U-shape," she said. Alinah added that the landslip close to Fraser Towers was due to a defective scupper drain that runs along the Sivan Temple located on the hill. She said water in the drain backflowed and as such flooded the slope, causing it to be water logged. "Our contractors are repairing the drain and consultants have suggested that the slopes be re-profiled to create a gentler gradient. "However, this can only be done once the slope stabilises on its own, with no soil movement," she said. Alinah said development in and around Bukit Gasing or above SMK Taman Petaling would not be allowed. Related Story: |
| Mayor: Landowners will pay for stabilisation works Posted: 17 May 2013 10:17 PM PDT OWNERS of private land in Bukit Gasing, where slope stabilisation works are being carried out, will have to absorb the cost estimated at RM7.5mil. Petaling Jaya mayor Datin Paduka Alinah Ahmad said the amount would be divided among the landowners. She said the stabilisation works include building a gabion wall, new drainage system, cutting the slope as well as clearing debris. "Our consultants have noticed erosion below Slope 9, along Jalan 5/64, where a mansion partly sits on concrete stilts. We have told the owner to engage an expert and obtain the required soil and rock parameters needed for soil stabilisation," said Alinah, adding that the owner was also required to submit the report to MBPJ's engineering department. She added, "Our contractors are in the midst of building a three-metre concrete wall at Jalan 5/60, just after the slope. We have pruned the trees on the slopes to reduce the load on the slope. "Tarpaulin sheets have also been placed to cover the bare soil at the sites where landslips occurred to reduce rainwater seeping into the ground. Contractors working at the site along Jalan 5/64 and Jalan 5/60 confirmed that about 45 trees were pruned while some felled due to the erosion making them tilt. Meanwhile, Fraser Towers Joint Management Body chairman M. Kamar urged the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) to organise an immediate meeting for Fraser, Camerons and Maxwell Towers residents to brief them on the current measures being taken to prevent landslips in Bukit Gasing. To-date, 20 landslips have occurred, causing fear among residents. "Majority of them are in the dark on the short and long-term measures being taken," he said, adding that the meeting should include soil experts, engineers and MBPJ's engineering director Cheremi Tarman. "Residents can ask questions at such a meeting," he said. "We are worried that the soil erosion on Slope 9 (close to Fraser Towers) would cause a telecommunications tower located on the hill close to the entrance to the Sivan Temple to come crashing down onto Jalan 5/60 if the erosion worsens," he said, He said the steep slope, sparse vegetation and water-logged conditions were some of the factors worrying residents. "We are offering the hall at Fraser Towers for the meeting with MBPJ," he said. Related Story: |
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