Jalan Trompet 6 in Bukit Beruntung has rows of empty shoplots filled with rubbish.
EMPTY shoplots in Bukit Beruntung, Bukit Sentosa and Serendah in Hulu Selangor have been turned into dumping grounds.
To make matters worse, once the shoplot space is filled with rubbish, the perpetrators set it alight to reduce the pile.
Earlier this month, a shoplot along Jalan Indah 1 in Taman Serendah Indah that was filled with rubbish was set on fire, despite the presence of other businesses next door.
A StarMetro team checking the razed site found charred rubbish at the staircase and smelled an acrid odour.
Household rubbish like plastic bags, discarded furniture, boxes and food packaging could be seen among the charred remains.
A visit to a vacant unit on Jalan Trompet 6 in Bukit Beruntung also found household items and furniture stacked up to the ceiling.
Children were playing near the site, unaware of the danger posed by the piles of rubbish and possibly rodents and snakes that could be attracted to the rubbish.
A kindergarten and a school are located about 200m away, aside from some restaurants, sundry shops and car workshops in the vicinity.
Discarded furniture and other household items dumped at one shoplot in Jalan Trompet 6, Bukit Beruntung.
Bandar Bukit Beruntung Residents Association chairman Augustine Maria Dasan, who has been residing in Bukit Beruntung for 27 years, said vacant rubbish-strewn shoplots were a common sight in Bukit Beruntung and Bukit Sentosa.
“This poses a threat as dengue can escalate within the community rapidly if the problem goes unchecked.
“Now that the district council has become a municipal council, we are hopeful that things will improve.”
Another resident Jamaludin Bahali, from Taman Melati in Serendah, worry that illicit activities could be taking place in the abandoned lots.
“Residents should inform the council so action can be taken.
“Some irresponsible residents angry with poor rubbish collection retaliate by dumping rubbish at the shoplots.
“These premises have been abandoned for more than two decades and are an eyesore.
Charred rubbish at a shoplot with blackened walls in Taman Serendah Indah.
“Something needs to be done,” said Jamaludin, who has been living in the area for 27 years.
Hulu Selangor Municipal Council corporate director Junainah Abdullah said it was the responsibility of the shoplot owners to lock their premises.
“They need to ensure that the doors, windows and shutters are shut at all times to prevent people from throwing rubbish inside.
“All we can do is issue a notice to the shoplot owners. We are unable to take action because the rubbish is inside the premises.
“We encourage witnesses to report illegal activities and we will keep their identities confidential.
“In recent years, we have rewarded informants while culprits caught in the act were penalised with hefty fines.”
She said the public could lodge complaints at https:// shorturl.at/bsuX3 or by calling 03-6064 1331.
