ILLEGAL RECYCLING CENTRE STILL AT IT

Public has lodged numerous complaints with City Hall

AN illegal recycling centre is still operating in Brickfields here despite the authorities promising to take action against the centre. The recycling centre is not only a nuisance to business operators and residents in the area, but also disrupts traffic.

Its operator has been using most of the parking bays in the area to park lorries and unload items.

The New Straits Times had reported on the issue several times and the Kuala Lumpur City Hall had promised to take action against the centre in the back lane between Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad and Jalan Thambipillay.

However, the centre has yet to cease operations despite complaints filed against it.

The operator is said to have another illegal recycling centre in Brickfields.

Residents said they wanted to know if City Hall enforcement personnel had been protecting the centre as the operator openly conducted his activities.

“This has been going on for several years.

“Each time we complain, action will be taken but it won’t stop the centre from operating.

“It seems that the operator might have immunity from the law because even after being ordered to shut down many times, he continues to run the centre without fear,” a business operator, who only wanted to be known as Rasul, said.

Resident Mohd Khalid Hassani, 48, said the centre posed a fire hazard to the people there.

He said the mess created by the centre, coupled with illegal roadside stalls, made the back lane impassable.

“It is difficult for cars to pass through the area.

“It is impossible for a fire engine to enter the area if there’s an emergency.

“City Hall cannot turn a blind eye to this problem.”

Another business operator said people in the area were tired of complaining to the authorities.

“I went to their (City Hall) office and lodged a complaint a year ago.

“But they did nothing to address the problem.

“To make matters worse, the operator confronted me about it.

“He told me that he had City Hall officers wrapped around his little fingers because he paid them and there was nothing I could do about it.”

The NST found an online petition calling for action against the centre.

It was created by the Selangor and Federal Territory Association for the Mentally Handicapped school, which complained about the illegal recycling business operating behind the school for years.

The school had complained that it was exposed to health hazard due to rat infestation as a result of the illegal recycling centre operating in the back lane of Wisma Harapan.

It claimed that calls, visits and letters sent to City Hall and the mayor’s office were ignored.

It said no solution or action had been taken to solve the problem.

The NST managed to get in touch with City Hall’s new enforcement director, Azman Mahmood, but he did not know about the existence of the illegal recycling centre.

“Let me investigate the claim. It’s a matter of time before we do the necessary,” he said.