1. responsibility of overseeing the essential development of Balakong Jaya.
“At Balakong Jaya, we have about 270 factories, 90% of which are SMEs
that occupy between 1 and 10 acres of lands. These factories are small
and large in sizes and are involved in the steel and metal manufacturing,
furniture, coach-building and recycling businesses, among others,” Ow
revealed.
“In a year, these industries from
Balakong Jaya alone contribute about
RM500million to the national GDP per
annum. But because we are still facing
all these flood problems, we are not able
to go beyond that,” he said, adding that
the persisting floods have contributed
to more unnecessary problems than the
industrialists would have anticipated.
Bottle-neck situation
According to Ow, the recurring floods
stem from the absence of a proper mon-
soon drainage system, caused by certain
quarters that are reluctant to comply to
the pleas of the association.
“The main reason why this is not solved
yet is because there is a land belonging
to Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) that is obstructing the construction of
a drainage system that has been approved. In order for the floodwaters
to flow smoothly into the river, this drain will have to cut across the
railway tracks from beneath and continue its flow out of our area,” Ow
elaborated.
“Until now, there has not been any response from KTM to allow the
construction of the drain on that piece of land,” he said.
Ow elaborated further that the master layout plan for Balakong Jaya
Industrial Park which will effectively develop the entire area had been
passed and approved by the Kajang District Council (MPKJ) and the
Jabatan Kerja Raya Malaysia(JKR) since 2006. It is now ready to be ex-
ecuted. However, the unyielding attitude for self-interest of some entities
is deterring progress for the majority.
“Still, there is also one particular fac-
tory owner whom we have been trying
to persuade for years to set back his
factory so we can construct the monsoon
drain according to the masterplan,” he
continued, adding that the land on which
the particular factory was built must be
returned to the government to make way
for authorised upgradation works.
“We have written so many complaint
letters to so many authorities. The prob-
lem has been brought up to the Majlis
Perbandaran Kajang (MPKJ), the State
and Central Governments, the Ahli Dewan
Undangan Negeri (ADUN) and the Depart-
ment of Irrigation and Drainage Malaysia
(JPS). But now it seems like there is just
no actions being taken, so we have no
choice but to bring this issue to a higher authority,” Ow said at the time of
correspondence.
Members ready to cooperate
Ow, who is also the chairman of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and
Industry of Balakong said its association members, all 70 of them out
of the 270 of whom are factory (and land) owners in Balakong Jaya, are
ready to cooperate with the authorities to resolve their dilemma. He also
explained that within the association is a certain collection of fund that is
kept for the purpose of infrastructure development of the industrial park.
“Our members have been very devoted in their support towards us to
champion this cause. They are relying on us with the money they have put
into the coffers of the association. We already have the finances now to
carry out all the necessary development in Balakong Jaya, so what are we
waiting for?,” he expressed.
“Now, the government is asking for us to speed up our land legalisation
process. We are very keen, yes. But right now, we need them to be on our
side to support us, so that we can heed their call and move on to the next
stage of development,” he reveals.
All in place, but stuck
He said each time there is heavy rain in Malaysia, the industrialists dread
the possibility of facing losses, while thousands of others in the nearby
residential areas are also affected.
“It is, therefore, my responsibility to ensure that this gets resolved
immediately because so long as this continues, people might lose hope
towards this place as they helplessly watch other people advance ahead
of Balakong Jaya,” Ow pronounced.
“Everything is already in place. Now we only need to get these people
to start moving,” he concluded.
E
03FEBRUARY 7 - FEBRUARY 20, 2015
Each time there is heavy
rain in Malaysia, the
industrialists dread the
possibility of facing losses,
while thousands of others in
the nearby residential areas
are also affected.
Newspaper articles featuring BalakongNewspaper articles featuring Balakong
Jaya folk at drainage locationsJaya folk at drainage locations
Key location points of BalakongKey location points of Balakong