Council rapped for not acting on complaints
30/07/2005 The Malay Mail

GOMBAK: The death of 18-year-old Mohd Lokman Abdul Kadir could have been avoided had the authorities acted on appeals by residents to ‘do something about’ the dangerous stretch near Taman Pinggiran Batu Caves.

This is what the residents in the area said yesterday, a day after the tragedy happened.

Lokman died on the spot when the motorcycle he and his 11-year-old niece Siti Aishah Mohd Isa were travelling on, was hit by a speeding 10-tonne lorry.

The deceased was sending Siti Aishah to a nearby religious school. Siti Aishah survived with injuries on her head.

A resident, Mohd Johari Mohd Yunus, from Kampung Bahtera, said that for months folk from the area had been complaining to Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) about the dangerous road.

He said the problem started when part of Lebuh Utama Sri Gombak was demolished to make way for the development of a row of three-storey shoplots.

“Unlike now, the original road was straight, enabling motorists from both directions to see oncoming traffic,” said the 34-year-old car wash operator.

He claimed that residents in the vicinity had appealed to the local authority to “make” the road back to its original condition.

“We were perplexed how MPS could have approved the project without considering our safety.

“Had they acted on our complaints and appeals, the incident could have been avoided,” he said.

He said residents from Kampung Melayu Wira Damai, Kampung Bahtera, Taman Gombak Permai and Taman Pinggiran Batu Caves use the link road daily.

“There is an average of at least three accidents a month along the stretch. The road is also slippery due to mud, sand and dust from the project site,” said the 33-year-old resident, who wished to be known only as Marina.

Another resident, who declined to be named, said the incident should serve as a lesson for the local authority.

“The council should not wait for another fatal accident to happen before acting. Yesterday’s incident could have been avoided had the council acted on our complaints,” he said.

MPS public relations officer Mohd Zain Masoad, when contacted, said any question pertaining to the stretch of road should be directed to the project developer, Sureman Properties Sdn Bhd.