An aerial view of downtown Johor Baru taken from the 17th floor of Menara Ansar building.
COMMON problems and issues faced by locals should be addressed by the Johor government as it moves towards achieving developed status by 2030.
Retired architect K. Somosundram said while the majority of Johoreans were looking forward to seeing Johor become a developed state in less than five years from now, there were many unresolved problems.
The 64-year-old from Taman Kota Jaya in Kota Tinggi said the public wanted to see state lawmakers and authorities being proactive in resolving issues.
Faulty traffic lights and street lamps, illegal dumping, indiscriminate parking and clogged drains were among the issues.
Akmal says potholes on Johor Baru roads give a bad image.
“Most of the time, we have to wait days before the relevant parties attend to problems,” he said in an interview.
Somosundram said Kota Tinggi was badly affected by floods, particularly in 2006 and 2007.
He hoped ongoing flood mitigation projects would resolved the longstanding problem.
He also urged the Kota Tinggi District Council (MDKT) to take action against locals renting out their premises for foreigners to open businesses.
“These foreigners are not supposed to run businesses but they are,” he said.
Administrative assistant Akmal Ahamad, 37, sarcastically said the JB moniker for Johor Baru was actually “Jalan Berlubang” as reference to the many potholes on roads.
“It is not a joke and hopefully the relevant authorities will immediately address the issue,” he said.
Locals, he said, were left wondering why potholes reappeared after road resurfacing works were completed.
“The authorities should closely monitor works done by the appointed contractors to ensure they do not shortchange them in completing road repairs.”
As Malaysia’s main entry point from Singapore, Akmal said potholes on city roads gave a bad image to visitors.
He also wanted the authorities to keep downtown Johor Baru free from litter bugs, illegal street peddlers as well as to take action against those sleeping on benches at Laman Segget.
In June, Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said Johor Smart City Blueprint 2030 was in line with the target to reach developed status by 2030.
The blueprint comprises seven components – smart government, smart people, smart economy, smart living, smart mobility, smart environment and smart digital infrastructure.
