Dumping sullied KL's image

KUALA LUMPUR - The Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Ministry will take action against contractors who dumped rubbish on the Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2) on Saturday.

Its minister, Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan, said the ministry viewed the issue seriously and would investigate the matter.

"Not only did they violate the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 (Act 672), their actions also caused traffic congestion at the MRR2 and has tarnished the city's image.

"The ministry, together with the National Solid Waste Management Department, Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation and City Hall, had taken immediate action by deploying Alam Flora Sdn Bhd to do the cleaning work.

"It was carried out by 30 Alam Flora workers as early as 9am, using three shovels, two backhoes, six open tipper trucks and two excavators," he said in a statement yesterday.

He said all rubbish would be transported to the Bukit Tagar landfill, as the Taman Beringin waste transfer station operator had failed to carry out its appointed tasks.

It was reported that more than 150 tonnes of rubbish were dumped by contractors a few hundred meters away from the transfer station.

The dumping took place between Friday night and the wee hours of Saturday as compactor drivers transporting the collected garbage found the transfer station's gates locked and unmanned.

As a result, traffic crawled along highways and roads near Batu Caves, MRR2, Jalan Duta, Jalan Kuching, Jalan Kepong and Jalan Ipoh.

Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Phesal Talib said the owner of the transfer station operating company had died, leaving his son, who did not have the relevant expertise, at the helm of the company.

The company, Umpan Jaya Sdn Bhd, had, on Friday night, surrendered the facility without notice to City Hall.

Phesal did not deny that part of the reason why the station appeared to be badly managed was also due to a breakdown in machinery.

Two of the four compactors broke down some time ago, causing long queues on the MRR2 as lorries could not tip their waste and drive out of the station.

"The station dealt with 2,500 tonnes of waste daily. It is understandable that it was overloaded," he said when contacted on Saturday evening.

Phesal denied rumours that payment disputes had led to the gates being locked and the sudden closure by the operator.

Earlier, there were also claims that the operator had deliberately locked the gates and left the station unmanned due to a notice by City Hall that it was to return the facility three months ahead of schedule.

Phesal said City Hall had surrendered the transfer station to the Solid Waste Management Department yesterday.

"The station and the issues concerning it are theirs now."

He said there would not be any checks by City Hall whether or not the operator had dismantled the garbage trucks, as claimed by some.

Phesal said the Solid Waste Management Department would open a tender for a waste company to operate the station in three months.