BUSINESSES in Selangor can look forward to shorter approval times for planning permits when the Speed Selangor policy is implemented in October.
Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said the policy was expected to accelerate business and investment related approval time for planning permits in designated industrial areas to just one month or less.
At present, such approvals can take up to three-and-a-half months.
He said the policy was a combination of similar initiatives carried out at the local authority level.
“Now we are combining everything, placing it under one framework and we will adopt it across the board,” he said during a press conference after launching the Publicity and Public Participation Programme for Sepang Municipal Council Draft Local Plan 2035 (Amendment) at Semarak Hall in Cyberjaya.
Amirudin said the state government had started internal training and trial sessions in preparation for the kick-off.
“Everything is ready. We could have implemented it on July 1 or even Aug 1, but I just wanted to test it out first.
“Our officers are undergoing training for its implementation.”
He also said that the policy would have a platform for public complaints, as part of efforts to enhance the state’s service delivery.
Separately, Amirudin said the state would form a special task force to combat illegal dumping, a widespread problem in Selangor, with Dengkil, Kajang and Hulu Selangor among the badly affected areas.
He said the problem of illegal dumping was connected to land and enforcement matters.
As such, Amirudin said joint action was needed to address the issue.
He said present enforcement efforts followed the National Land Code 1965, which limited the state’s ability to act swiftly against offenders.
“We need to respond quickly to public complaints.
“Action needs to be taken not only against the illegal dumping ground operators; landowners should also be held accountable for illegal activities on their property,” he said, adding that the state had spent millions of ringgit to clean up sites after land was confiscated due to illegal dumping.
However, procedural hurdles remained a challenge, Amirudin said.
“There was a case where the court overturned our action in confiscating the land, saying the notice period was insufficient.
“This shows we must restructure our legal framework to ensure stricter penalties, including higher fines and the ability to confiscate land more effectively,” he said.
