Ideal location: This land beneath high-tension cables in Section 10, Petaling Jaya has been turned into a parking lot.
EMPTY plots of land beneath high-tension electricity cables are a common sight in the Klang Valley but many are now asking if these pockets of land can be turned into something useful for the community in the area.
More often than not, the land is left idle and filled with undergrowth or used as a dumping ground. It then becomes a nightmare for residents living nearby who have to deal with unneccesary problems.
The issue plagues residents of Section 14, Petaling Jaya, who have long battled for a solution for the land beneath the high-tension cables near Jalan 14/1, next to the Asia Jaya LRT station.
Their idea is to turn the empty plot of land into a park that will serve the residents as a recreational area as well as a proper pathway for those heading to the Asia Jaya LRT station.
“The land is not well-maintained. Occasionally, Tenaga Nasional Berhad will get someone to cut the grass but that is just a temporary solution,” said Section 14A Residents Association pro-tem committee member P. Nagarajan.
He said snakes entering houses had become a normal occurrence for the residents in the area.
Many of them now tread carefully even inside the house for fear of stepping on the slithery visitors.
Section 14A Residents Association pro-tem committee secretary Dr Malini Shanmuganathan said turning the area into a park would help deter crime.
Put to good use: This empty plot of land in Cheras is being used as a carpark by nearby residents. However the surrounding is still unkempt.
“Now, thieves hide in the bushes and wait for an opportunity,” she said, adding that installing floodlights would help brighten the area and keep it safe.
“They can also fence it up. Now lorries come in to dump construction waste,” she said.
Another committee member Tay Kok Yong said sometimes cut grass is not cleared away, creating a mess.
He said dried leaves and the cut grass were fire hazards and he had seen these catching fire on numerous occasions.
He fears that if a solution is not found soon, the fire may spread to the houses.
In Bukit Tinggi and Bandar Botanic Klang, the area near the pylons in Persiaran Batu Nilam 2 have been idle for sometime but residents are unsure what to do with it.
Bandar Bukit Tinggi Klang residents association secretary Kam Swee Khow said someone was currently operating a nursery beneath the high-tension cables while another patch had been turned into a resting place for cattle.
He said residents were also wary of the side-effects of the cables.
“Some residents have told me that they have felt static electricity running through their body after they touch a car that had been parked near or underneath the cables overnight,” he said.
Kam said if there was a provision under the law that allowed them to turn the plots of land into something useful, they were willing to look into it.
He said a carpark would be more appropriate in their neighbourhood.
“It is definitely a good idea to turn the area into something useful such as a carpark for the people but this must be done with approval from the authority,” he added.
As for Bandar Sri Damansara residents, they are still sceptical about using the land for any purpose due to the high voltage.
Bandar Sri Damansara Residents Association former secretary Karen Sharma said it was too dangerous to have anything beneath the cables.
However, earlier this year the committee asked for lights along a 100m stretch of TNB high-tension cables at the Sungai Buloh entrance to the area.
TNB turned down their request, saying thiscould not be done because of the pylons.
“They said it was dangerous but this has been done near the Taman Jaya LRT station. If we cannot use it, at least the area must be well lit and well maintained,” she said.
These residents’ associations are now looking into a precedent case in Section 10, Petaling Jaya.
The land beneath the cables have been turned into carparks for the residents and those using the Taman Jaya LRT station.
Sheer waste: Idle land in Jalan 14/4 and Jalan 14/5 in Petaling Jaya covered with undergrowth.
Section 10 Residents Association president Ronald Danker said it took the association some years to turn the place into a carpark.
So far, the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) has turned half of the land into a carpark and it is said the remaining half, extending all the way to Taman Jaya, would follow suit.
“The carpark has proven to be useful for residents and church-goers who attend service at the St Francis Xavier church and Gospel Hall,” Danker said.
He said earlier there were two occupants, a bonsai plant operator and a flower garden operator but that they only used part of the land while the other half was in a mess.
Danker said after the conversion, residents faced less problems, with the area made brighter and safer with lighting and partial fencing put up along Jalan 10/6a.
“It is definitely a positive change since it serves a purpose for everyone,” he added.
MBPJ councillor Derek Fernandez said their pilot project was the carpark in Section 10.
He said other areas in Petaling Jaya had also been identified for this purpose, including the area near Taman Aman.
“There is a masterplan and the area has been earmarked for a carpark as well as a greenwalkway, including a bicycle pathway,” he said.
He said it was valuable land and that it would be ideal if TNB could build the facilities underground.
TNB, however, had said based on legal grounds, this was not possible.
Fernandez said the land should be used productively and that carparks as well as bus depots were most needed in urban and suburban areas.
“The carparks and buses provide a linkage for transportation and we started providing free public carparks in Section 10 and will do the same in Taman Aman,” he added.
As for Section 14, the area has been identified for a carpark and a walkway that will be useful for those using the LRT.
Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s (DBKL)media officer Zurida Hashim said so far they have allowed private companies to lease the land for carparks and nurseries only.
She said DBKL pays TOL to the land office while the land users pay rent to DBKL.
The carpark is located in Jalan Jejaka in Taman Maluri, Cheras, while the nursery is located in Taman Gembira, Petaling.
“The carpark is rented out for four sen per feet while the nursery is leased for two sen per feet,” she added.
