Confiscate land used as illegal dumpsites, says lawmaker

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 26): The Federal Territories Land and Mines Office should confiscate land that is used as illegal dumpsites, says Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng (pictured).

He said the authorities should clamp down on owners who allow their land to be used for illegal activities.

"We want the authorities to take stern action against such blatant disregard for the law. The Land and Mines Office ought to initiate legal action against the land owners," he said.

Lim was commenting on a City Hall operation at three vacant land lots used as dumping grounds in Lorong Haji Hamzah, Segambut Dalam yesterday morning.

"The residents and I are disappointed that City Hall did not invite us to be present as we have raised the issue with the council several times," he said.

Anak Anak Segambut secretary Irwan Sabei said City Hall had informed him that its enforcement officers visited the sites yesterday after receiving complaints from the residents.

"City Hall officers told us they issued compounds to three lorry drivers for dumping waste and they would also be checking the status of the land," he said, adding that a few lorries had managed to slip through the enforcement team.

Irwan hopes the neighbourhood has seen the last of the lorries.

"City Hall said it would continue enforcement in the area. We hope there will be no more illegal dumping activities here," he said.

He said the waste dumping began last year in one land lot but two months ago, two more land lots in the area were cleared for the lorries.

More than 100 lorries arrived a day to dump waste in the three illegal dumpsites, he said.

Irwan said the 50 families living nearby had been worried by the proximity of the waste dumping and opening burning activities to their homes. He said the open burning was a health hazard while the dumpsites were possible Aedes breeding grounds. -- The Malaysian Insider

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