THINK twice before you renovate your house, especially if it is perched on a hill slope. 

This was Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo's advice to the residents concerning the recent issue of landslides involving hillside developments. 

“Residents whose homes are built on steep slopes and bunds should not carry out renovations to the point of extending their houses to the retaining wall or boundary.  

“There also have been instances where fencing was put up on the wall,” he said. 

“House owners should bear in mind that the wall or boundary may not be able to bear the weight of the additional structures after 12 to 13 years. The brunt of the damage is only apparent when there is soil erosion,” said Dr Khir. 

Dr Khir (right) attending to a complainant during the Meet the People session.

He was speaking to the media after listening to residents' woes and complaints at a Meet the People session at the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) Sports Complex in Section 15, Bandar Baru Bangi on Thursday. 

Dr Khir also said modification works done to houses in Selangor were a major problem for the state government because the rules and regulations were often flouted without residents taking into consideration future repercussions such as natural disasters. 

He advised residents to stay within their boundaries when carrying out renovations and not to encroach into state or council land. 

Dr Khir also said he was happy with the reduction in the number of complaints received at the session which fell from 303 last year to 101 this year, citing the success of the back-to-basics programme. 

“Of the 101 complaints received, the majority were on land, finance, privatisation, local authority and macro economy issues. There were also complaints on infrastructure, public facilities and rural development,” he said. 

When queried on the proposed hike in MPKj assessment rates next year, Khir said it was about time for the local authority to do so as the rates were last reviewed 20 years ago. He said the council would announce the new rates soon but the hike would not be more than 10%. 

“For instance, the Shah Alam City Council's (MBSA) average assessment charge per property is RM97 while MPKj's average assessment charge per property is RM25. MPKj's average is also lower than that of the local authorities in Kuala Langat and Kuala Selangor,” he said. 

On the matter of the toll-free access road in Bandar Mahkota Cheras, kept closed by highway concessionaire Grand Saga Sdn Bhd, Khir said it was up to the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) to settle the issue.