“Monument of Inefficiency” In SS1 Will Be Demolished

Incomplete hall at Jalan SS1/1 will be demolished by MBPJ and the land will be returned to its rightful owner, Koperasi Pegawai-Pegawai Kerajaan Malaysia Berhad (KPPKMB). The council has appointed a contractor and demolition will be conducted despite several delays due to technical problems.

The incomplete hall was once described by local media as “a monument of council’s inefficiency” as the previous administration of the council spent RM2 million in 2002 to build a multipurpose hall on a piece of field. Construction stopped halfway when the legal owner of the land turned up, rightfully claiming that the council had carried out the construction on land it did not own.

For years, the council did nothing to discuss with the land owner on the future on the land. Meanwhile, the incomplete hall becomes a haunt and hide-outs for drug addicts.

When I first took over the office, I have made a personal pledge to resolve the matter as the eyesore has become a threat to the community. Several official and unofficial discussions had been held and it has been decided that the council should demolish the structure and return the land to its rightful owner. Demolition has to be done at MBPJ’s cost.

And I am proud to announce that such monument that has brought shame on the council will now be demolished. The infamous nickname of “monument of inefficiency” will be a history and let us not forget the lesson we learn from this mistake.

Still, there are several issues that we need to handle. First, I understand the wished of the residents to retain the place as a field for children and they also hope the council can improve on the deplorable conditions of the two tennis courts and basketball court next to the hall. Some works were done from my constituency development fund but it is just insufficient unless the resourceful MBPJ step in and assist.

Secondly, while the land is finally returned to the rightful owner, KPPKMB, KPPKMB has the right to further develop the land as it is meant for residential purposes according to the land title. KPPKMB also owns a few pockets of similar land in SS1.

These issues must be made known to the taxpayers to avoid any possible misunderstandings between the owner of the land, the people living in surrounding area and the council.