100 KULAI FACTORIES FACE DEMOLITION
Factory operators given 3 years to comply with local council guidelines
MORE than 100 factories operating illegally without Temporary Planning Permission (TPP) here could be facing demolition.
Kulai Municipal Council (MPKu) president Farizal Ismail said the local council had the right to take such action if the factory operators failed to register their premises as required under the law.
He said this following an incident where a warehouse storing fireworks in Saleng was razed by fire on Sunday.
“We can enforce punitive measures should factory operators continue to ignore the requirement set under the council’s TPP requirement.
“The factory operators have been given three years to comply with the requirements,” Farizal said after chairing the council’s full board meeting at MPKu headquarters yesterday.
The demolishing of illegal structures could be enforced under the Building and Drainage Act 1974 for errant land owners or factory operators who failed to comply with the requirements, he said.
Commenting on the fireworks warehouse incident, Farizal said that the premises operator was issued with a showcause letter to explain the illegal operation to the council.
“We will check four other factories that he owns in the same area. The operator can be slapped with a RM500 compound for each premises that operates without a licence.”
The fire at the illegal warehouse in Saleng began at 5.30pm on Sunday.
More than 100 firefighters took almost 10 hours to put out the flames. It was later revealed by an MPKu spokesman that the warehouse, which was located in an industrial area, had been operating illegally for 20 years.
Police are probing the case as explosive items were found at the warehouse.
Farizal said there were many industrial areas in Kulai that were developed without adhering to council regulations.
He said some of the factories and warehouses sat on land categorised as agriculture land under the state Land Office.
“This happened due to land owners’ failure to convert their land status for industrial use.
“Therefore, I will meet factory operators in Kulai next week, and we will review the applications for TPPs that have been submitted by the factories,” he added.
TPP compels building operators to meet provisions to obtain an operation licence for a time period.
The requirements include factory operators having proper roadways for industrial use equipped with safety and security features, as well as fire hydrants.
It is also mandatory for land owners to convert the status of their land from agricultural use to industrial use before any structure can be built and used for industrial activity.