These developers, who recently voiced their concerns about the poor quality of maintenance and upkeep services provided, have suggested that they take on the job themselves as a possible solution to what they see as "a growing problem".

Most local authorities at present sub-contract the cleaning up and common area maintenance of neighbourhoods under their jurisdiction to private firms - some of which developers have accused of being "negligent" in the removal of refuse, in matters pertaining to keeping the greenery neat and overseeing the general upkeep of sidewalks and other common areas.

Responding to this, two local councils contacted said that if developers are unhappy about this situation and are serious about taking on these responsibilities, they were more than welcome to submit tenders for consideration.

"However, it must be remembered that Government bodies have strict guidelines to meet before awarding contracts. Developers cannot be favoured just because they developed the locality.

"Any bid to provide local services must be made by open tender and contracts are awarded on a fair merit basis to the most appropriate bid,"

Majlis Perbandaran Selayang's public relations officer Mohd Zin Masaod said. He said "meeting Government guidelines" meant that the person or firm submitting the bid must have a Class F contractor's licence, as well as adhere to several other Government prerequisites.

Majlis Perbandaran Subang Jaya's (MPSJ) senior public relations officer Azfarizal Abdul Rashid said local authorities generally enjoyed a good relationship with developers in their jurisdiction and would be open to any suggestion they had on providing a better environment.

"We understand that some developers, particularly those involved in upmarket projects, may demand higher standards for their developments, resulting in a desire to handle (and perhaps invest more) in maintenance.

We are open to ideas to improve these services." However, Azfarizal said, contractors tasked with the job now could not simply be dismissed or replaced.

Complaints of shoddy performance against them must first be investigated. If the complaints are genuine, the contractor is given a chance to improve the performance before a decision is made to terminate the contract and source for new contractors.

Dismissing allegations that local councils do not monitor the work of cleaning and maintenance contractors properly, Azfarizal said the Government requires all councils to enforce stringent monitoring and evaluation guidelines, as well as set up a channel to receive complaints from the public.

"MPSJ works on a demerit system, whereby it regularly evaluates the performance of its contractors. Should complaints be lodged against a contractor, or if we find that the job is not up to standard, the first penalty is to cut a percentage of its remuneration package. If the contractor continues to provide questionable service, we will then terminate the contract," he said.

Local authorities, he added, have easily accessible complaint centres that developers should be well aware of, which are usually managed by their public relations departments.