A factory worker today drove more than 10km from his house and scattered a plastic bag of rubbish in front of the entrance to the Bandar Baharu District Council office in Serdang.
Ismail Ahmad, 50, said his action was a protest against the local authority for allegedly having neglected its duty to collect rubbish on schedule for years at his housing estate, Taman Kelisa Emas, in Lubok Buntar.
After dispersing the rubbish, to the shock of the local authority employees, Ismail told reporters that a rubbish heap had formed only about seven metres from his house and about 30 metres from a kindergarten attended by almost 100 children of the residents.
“My family and I as well as the more than 1,200 other residents are no longer able to bear the foul smell of the rubbish which has gone on for years,” he said.
Ismail said fierce stray dogs scavenged the rubbish heap for food and at times chased adults and children walking by the area.
A check by Bernama revealed a rubbish heap at the spot but no bins. The place was unsightly and there was an unpleasant odour. Ismail said he had made two reports, one to the local authority on Oct 7 last year and the other to the Serdang police station here on March 16 this year.
Meanwhile, Mohd Saiful Anuar Zainal, chief executive officer of Enviromen Idaman Sdn Bhd, the company handling refuse collection, gave the assurance that it would resolve the problem by removing the rubbish heap and cordoning off the area with tape.
He also said that the company would seek the collaboration of the local authority to grow flowering plants at the site.
“The public who want to lodge a complaint with the company can contact the toll-free line 1800-88-ENVO-(3684) or send an email to [email protected](www.e-idaman.com website),” he said.
— BERNAMA
CJMY
