DAP’s Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming has queried why Kuala Lumpur City Hall awarded the Taman Beringin landfill contract in Kepong to a family member of an Umno leader with no prior experience in managing such a project.

Ong asked in a statement today why the company managing the landfill was given the contract in the first place in 2011, despite the Taman Beringin garbage transfer station reported to be facing problems since the company took over the project, as KL mayor Ahmad Phesal Talib had highlighted.

Ong also called on Urban Well-being, Housing and Local Government Minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan to disclose the cost of the management contract given to the former politician’s company and the grounds for it being chosen.

“I also ask the minister to give us an assurance that the parties involved, including the company and the rubbish contractors, will be investigated thoroughly and if found responsible, that they will be given the necessary punishment and fines.

“Finally, we urge the minister to award the next contract to manage the Taman Beringin rubbish transfer station via an open tender rather than just awarding this project to Alam Flora to manage,” Ong added.

oriental daily report on garbage highway dumping 241213 The Serdang MP also pointed to a string of recent media reports last Saturday on the dumping of tonnes of garbage along the Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2) by contractors because the Taman Beringin garbage transfer station in Kepong was closed.

Later, he pointed out, another report said the transfer station was closed because of broken and non-working compactors.

“Ahmad Phesal was also reported to have said the Taman Beringin garbage transfer station has been facing problems since 2011, after the company was appointed by City Hall to manage it,” Ong said.

The company, he said, only had previous experience of running a waste transfer station to a sanitary landfill level, and raising the level of solid waste landfill at a site.

He asked why the KL City Hall did not take earlier steps to ensure that the rubbish at the site was properly managed and transferred to the Bukit Tagar sanitary landfill despite the many operational problems faced, including the lack of properly maintained garbage disposal trucks and compactors in poor working conditions, which City Hall was aware of.

“Instead, DBKL allowed the situation to get out of hand, resulting in the emergency situation of mass garbage dumping on MRR2 that occurred last Saturday,” Ong emphasised.

Later today, KL mayor Ahmad Phesal was reported to have denied that any hanky-panky in choosing Umpan Jaya Sdn Bhd, to manage the Taman Beringin waste transfer station.

“This is an old story. I believe we have chosen a credible contractor in Umpan Jaya. They have credible experience in managing waste before in Penang, in the whole of Seberang Perai,” the mayor said.

Malaysiakini has also emailed the company to get its response over the allegation.