Construction of a 5G tower in Jalan Awana 17 of Taman Cheras Awana is expected to be completed by end January.
RESIDENTS of Taman Cheras Awana in Kajang, Selangor, want the local council to temporarily halt construction of a 5G tower in Jalan Awana 17 pending a briefing on the project details.
Taman Cheras Awana Residents Association (TCARA) chairman Robert Dass M.P. Anthony Dass said they had sent an official letter to Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) on Oct 10 last year objecting to the project after finding out about it eight days earlier.
But instead of engaging with the RA, he said MPKj only met one resident from Jalan Awana 22.
“There has been no communication whatsoever between MPKj and TCARA.
Robert Dass says MPKj has not engaged with residents.
“One individual is not representative of the whole residential area,” Robert told StarMetro.
However, both MPKj and Yakin Telesel Sdn Bhd (YTSB), a telecommunication company appointed by the local council to evaluate the project’s feasibility, disputed this.
YTSB, in a letter to MPKj Development Department director, and copied to TCARA, stated that a public engagement session on the project was carried out on Nov 17 last year.
YTSB assistant manager Nuraqilah Izzati Zainuddin said the session, which was attended by the company, MPKj and representatives of project applicant GTP Network, had given details on the 5G tower construction to residents including RA members.
“Residents were briefed on the construction plan, function and potential radiation emissions from the tower.
“The residents had then agreed for the construction to go ahead in Jalan Awana 17.
“GTP Network must present a report on the amount of radiation from the tower to the residents and MPKj after the construction is completed,” said Nuraqilah in the letter dated Nov 23, 2023.
MPKj Corporate Planning and Public Relations director Kamarul Izlan Sulaiman, when contacted by StarMetro, confirmed that the council had received TCARA’s letter of objection.
“We did not receive any other objections after the briefing, so MPKj issued a permit on Dec 7 for the operator to start construction.”
He said YTSB had met representatives from the RA to set a date for another briefing on the construction of the 5G tower, after Robert complained that many in the association did not know about the first session.
During a site visit on Dec 29, 2023, StarMetro found that the construction of the tower had already begun. The project contractor said work was expected to be completed by end of January.
