Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has given the Taman Desa Phase 1 Residents Association (TDP1RA) two weeks to remove unapproved facial-recognition scanners and boom gates from public roads in the neighbourhood.
DBKL enforcement officers pasted red notices on facial scanners at Guard Posts 1 and 4 on Thursday (Aug 27).
DBKL enforcement officers also placed yellow DBKL enforcement tape around the scanners and boom-gate equipment.
The notices said the structures were installed without approval from the Kuala Lumpur mayor. They cited Section 70 of the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974.
When contacted, a DBKL spokesperson said City Hall issued the two-week notice after consulting its legal department.
“We put up the notices today and have given them two weeks from today to remove the obstructions.
“If they fail to do so, DBKL will remove them. We hope they do the right thing,” the spokesperson said.
The latest action follows a long-running dispute over road closures and access controls under the TDP1RA guarded-neighbourhood scheme.
After an inspection on Aug 17, DBKL found that the association had failed to bring the scheme in line with City Hall’s requirements despite being given an additional 30 days to do so.
In an Aug 18 letter, DBKL ordered TDP1RA to fully open Posts 2, 5 and 6 to vehicles, remove unapproved structures and restore access to the affected public roads.
DBKL had also said in a March 5 letter that the CCTV cameras and facial-recognition system were installed without its approval.
On Aug 24, more than 40 residents, most aged 50 and above, protested against the restricted access at Gate 5 in Jalan Desa Ria.
The gate is permanently closed to vehicles and remains locked to pedestrians until 6am.
Residents said this forced early-morning walkers to make a longer detour along a busy road to reach a public park.
They also described the facial-recognition system as intrusive and warned that the barriers could delay emergency vehicles.
TDP1RA president Frank Yeh had earlier said the association followed the required procedures and obtained the support of 81% of residents.
