A COUNCILLOR has refuted claims that parks in the Bandar Utama neighbourhood of Petaling Jaya, Selangor, are in a state of neglect.
Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) Zone 2 councillor Danny Chan said a total of RM2.7mil had been spent since 2018 to upgrade parks there.
He said his zone had 25 open spaces, two public parks, one football field and two open spaces managed by joint management bodies.
“The residents asked for a full upgrade of the park.
“I want to highlight that I take their request seriously and am engaging in discussions on further action to be taken.
“The residents are asking for the entire park to be rebuilt.
“Although we can always upgrade parts of the park, the public must understand that if MBPJ has an allocation of RM300,000, it makes sense to create a new park in areas that do not have one to begin with.
“MBPJ cares for the entire city and prioritises cases,” he said when met at the full board meeting at the city council’s headquarters.
He was commenting on a StarMetro Aug 26 report, “PJ neighbourhood decries decades of neglect” on the shoddy contractor work and lack of maintenance in BU2, including a park there.
Chan said that having served as the area councillor since 2018, he was aware of upgrade works carried out at the BU2/5 park in 2018 and 2021 worth RM313,000 and RM132,000 respectively, not inclusive of maintenance costs.
To another complaint by residents, he said MBPJ had increased its allocation for road-marking works from RM600,000 to RM1.7mil for the entire city.
“The primary focus for road markings is on main roads, followed by residential roads.”
On the paving of the park for illegal parking, Chan said discussions were under way to conduct a pilot project to install bollards at the corners of the parks.
Separately, a special officer to a Selangor executive councillor has filled the final vacant seat as MBPJ councillor.
Mohamad Azli Jamaasim, 54, was sworn in before the start of the full board meeting yesterday.
He is in charge of Zone 24, covering areas such as Kampung Lindungan, Desa Mentari and Desa Ria.
When asked about his priorities, Mohamad Azli said: “The number one issue is flash flood.
“Although measures have been taken to address this, the people will want regular updates.
“Another issue is illegal dumping of bulk waste. Instead of sending it to landfills, lorries dump it illegally.
“This waste is not generated by locals but brought in from outside,” he noted.
Mohamad Azli said he knew the area well as he had previously worked with former Seri Setia assemblyman Halimey Abu Bakar and current assemblyman Dr Mohammad Fahmi Ngah, who is Selangor Islamic religious affairs and cultural innovation committee chairman.
