KUALA LUMPUR: Complaints involving abandoned dilapidated vehicles in public parking spaces are among grouses received by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), says Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa (pic).
The Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) said the derelict vehicles have not only become an eye sore affecting the city's image but also impacts cleanliness, safety, and public comfort.
"Between January and May this year, DBKL received a total of 1,009 public complains related to abandoned or dilapidated vehicles.
"Of this, 992 complains were successfully resolved with remaining 17 cases still under investigation for further action," she said when replying to a question raised by Fong Kui Lun (PH-Bukit Bintang) in the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday ( (July 24).
She said that DBKL's observations showed that this issue is becoming more urgent as more vehicles are being left unclaimed.
"This is especially common in cases where the owner has passed away without any acting heirs, vehicles left unclaimed at workshops, or vehicles kept by certain individuals for sentimental reasons," she said.
She added that these abandoned vehicles were located in all 11 parliamentary constituencies in Kuala Lumpur, with the highest number recorded in Segambut with 163 complains.
This was followed by Seputeh (143) and Setiawangsa (113) and the Bukit Bintang area with 81 complaints, she added.
Dr Zaliha DBKL's enforcement department is tasked with dealing with these vehicles by transporting them to three designated depots specifically established for storage and disposal purposes.
The combined capacity of all three depots is 3,100 vehicles, and as of now, 1,945 vehicles have been placed in them, she added.
She said that 1,504 vehicles are stored at the Taman Connaught Depot, which has a capacity of 1,600 vehicles.
She said the depot serves as the main centre for DBKL’s management of dilapidated vehicles.
Among the improvements currently being undertaken by DBKL is to speed up the disposal process for unclaimed vehicles through gazetting.
However, Dr Zaliha said that the gazetting also requires some time to ensure the rightful owner or heir will not reclaim the vehicle before disposal.
She said that the Road Transport Department (JPJ) had also introduced a new facility called the e-Dereg system, which allows vehicle owners to cancel their vehicle registration online through JPJ’s digital platform.
She said that the vehicle can then be sent to an Authorized Automotive Treatment Facility (AATF) which will bear the cost of towing and disposal.
