Residents of BU6/2, Bandar Utama are angry that a ruling imposed on them by the Petaling Jaya Municipal Council (MBPJ) was not extended to other Selangor residents.

The ruling involved the unauthorised construction of walls, growing of bushes and other structures by residents on ‘buffer zones’, which refers to a small strip of land separating the backyards of BU6/2 homes and busy main roads.

On April 16, a meeting on the matter was held between the residents and Petaling District assistant officer Mohd Azrul Hashim at the BU3/1 town hall.

The meeting concluded with Azrul’s announcement that the residents will have to destroy the unauthorised structures within one month from that day.

He also warned that district officers would demolish remaining structures after that date.

Following that, a group of 51 residents submitted a letter to MBPJ on April 24 protesting the unfair application of the ruling.

“We are sure MBPJ officers are aware that unauthorised structures are not unique to BU6/2 residents.

“There are many areas around Petaling Jaya and even Kuala Lumpur where ‘unauthorised structures’ bordering main roads have been built.

“While acknowledging ‘wrongs’ in other areas do not make our actions right, why just pick on BU6/2 area?” stated the letter.

The residents also claimed that many of them had paid for construction works after being assured by contractors that there would not be any problems with MBPJ.

Enforce the law fairly and consistently

In addition, they pointed out that similar structures have been built in other parts of Bandar Utama for more than four or five years without encountering any objections from MBPJ.

“We do not dispute the fact that laws and regulations need to be enforced.

“What we wish to see is that they are enforced fairly, uniformly and consistently.

“Enforcement should not be selective and should be applied equally to everyone and not just targeting a small area or group of residents.”

The letter also listed some of the residents’ reasons for building the unauthorised structures, one of them being that they landscaped the ‘buffer zone’ to beautify their property, as MBPJ had not done much to enhance their residential area.

Another reason was that some residents felt the need to build simple “retaining walls” as protection against erosion, as the “buffer zone” can be quite steep in certain areas.

Nevertheless, they also admitted that some of the residents have been overzealous in building these structures.

However, the residents also remarked that should MBPJ proceed with the destruction of the structures in BU6/2, the council must also demolish all similar structures in other parts of Selangor.

In addition, they requested that MBPJ build “sound barriers” on the buffer zones to enhance security, beautify the area as well as prevent further construction of unauthorised structures.

The residents also noted that the “buffer zone” in BU6/2 is often used by all sorts of vehicles including heavy construction vehicles due to the many construction sites in that area.

Azrul could not be reached for comment by Malaysiakini.