Ng: State looking into suggestion to have a centralised disposal centre for several local councils.
LOCAL councils are bogged down by various challenges when handling issues relating to abandoned cars.
Perak local government committee chairman Sandrea Ng said one such challenge was cars left by the roadside.
Such vehicles, she said, still had valid road tax and registration and could not be removed.
“Before local councils can take action, they need to check with the relevant agencies to prevent disputes.
As such checks were time-consuming, Ng said actions to remove them would be slow.
She also said local councils lacked specialised tow trucks to remove heavy vehicles, and rental of such trucks would incur additional operational costs.
She said this in reply to Dr Abdul Aziz Bari (PH-Tebing Tingi) and Ong Boon Piow (PH-Bercham) during the state assembly sitting at Bangunan Perak Darul Ridzuan in Ipoh.
Ng said Ipoh City Council (MBI) had a 0.2ha depot for abandoned cars in Lahat, but capacity was limited.
She said there were currently 30 seized vehicles at the site.
Space at depots of smaller local councils were similarly limited, said Ng.
“Due to limited space, local councils may be seen as not taking action or being slow to act.
“The state is looking at various actions to encourage owners of abandoned cars to dispose of their vehicles,” she added.
Ng said the government was looking into a suggestion to have a centralised disposal centre to be used by several local councils.
She said one of the main reasons for vehicles being left abandoned was because owners did not want to bear the cost of disposal.
“Some owners whose cars have been involved in accidents, feel it pointless to repair their vehicles.
“Towing away these vehicles may be too costly, so many choose to leave them by the roadside.”
Abandoned cars, she added, not only marred the image of the city but could also become breeding grounds for mosquitoes and deter investors.
Ng urged people to change their mindset and take responsibility for their abandoned vehicles instead of letting the burden fall on the local council.
