Malaysian Land Gallery

Catch 22 situation for Lembah Beringin landowners

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Photos by ROHAIZAT MD DARUS | Jan 20, 2012

Landowners in Lembah Beringin, Hulu Selangor, want to know why they have to pay assessment when their area is not maintained. Landowner Gunasingam Gunaretnam said the Hulu Selangor District Council had been sending notices three years ago to landowners to pay up their assessment.

He said people who had bought the land in 1998 refused to pay the assessment because none of them had built any bungalows yet. Gunasingam has to pay RM468 in assessment annually for his plot. He had met the council officers in 2010 and last year but no action had been taken so far.

Another landowner Datuk Kassim Maon said he wanted to build a house on his plot but the area was not accessible because of the thick undergrowth. “The road has been damaged and we fear that our electricity wires are cut by vandals. All we want is for the council to maintain the place by cleaning up the drains, cutting the trees, installing street lights, and repairing the road.

“Then, we are happy to pay for the maintenance. Currently, there is no service from the district council so it is ridiculous to expect us to pay assessment.

Gunasingam said the access road leading to the 464 plots, measuring about 0.4ha each, has been damaged. “There are potholes everywhere and one stretch of the road has caved in. “Thieves had cut and stolen the streetlight poles and ransacked the TNB sub-station. “The area has been marked for bungalows in the developer’s brochures,’’ he said.

Kassim suggested that a developer undertake a project to build bungalows in Lembah Beringin. When contacted, council president Tukiman Nail said there was no problem in maintaining the area.

“It is not only the council’s fault but Tenaga Nasional Berhad, Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor and Telekom Malaysia must also play a role in repairing the damage.

“We promise to do our part in maintaining the area but if there is nobody staying in the area then the place will become unkempt again,’’ he said. The local authority can charge assessment to land owners if there are no permanent structures on their land.

State local government committee chairman Ronnie Liu said the respective local councils could impose assessment on the land owners even if there were no permanent structures like a building or a house on the land.

“However, the owners of the land can appeal to the council to reconsider if they have proof that the area has not been developed. “The council can reconsider the matter and not impose the assessment on the landowners,’’ he said.

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Presently there is a huge unmet need for good-quality, low-cost housing in urban areas for low income households. According to a report by ADB, there are currently more than 1 billion people worldwide who live in inadequate housing, the majority in urban slums and squatter settlements.