Thursday May 19, 2011By THO XIN YI
thoxinyi@thestar.com.my
Photo by ROHAIZAT MD DARUS
Cause of concern: A factory in Taman Cahaya, Kajang that has been turned into a swiftlet farm.
“To top it all, the used parts are not only dirty and smelly but greasy as well. They could easily trigger a fire through carelessness.
RESIDENTS living behind a swiftlet farm and a row of shops and houses used to store mountains of second-hand car parts in Taman Cahaya in Kajang, are concerned about fire safety and hygiene problems.
However, the operator dismissed their claims and worries as baseless.
Two residents, who opted for anonymity, said the used car parts business could give rise to dengue. It could put the safety of residents there in jeopardy since there is only one drain separating their houses and the said premises.
“I have contacted the Health Department and they conducted checks at the site and found it to be a breeding ground for mosquitoes,” one of them said.
She said she had to instal netting to protect family members from mosquitoes.
“The department responded by saying that only the local council has the authority to ask the premises owner to move out. However, when we contacted the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj), they referred us back to the department,” she said.
The residents said the business, which occupied several lots, belonged to the same owner. A few vacant houses were also used to store the used car parts.
To add to their woes, a factory located along the same road was transformed into a swiftlet farm several months ago.
“We became suspicious when we saw them covering up the windows with bricks, leaving only a few small holes.
“There are many swiftlets in our area now. We are worried about the hygiene problems that might be caused by the swiftlets and sometimes I even find bird feathers in my house,” the resident said.
The residents wanted to know if the farm was allowed to operate in the residential area.
The resident also said she had raised these two matters to MPKj more than 10 times.
“It is unbelieveable that the council asked me to collect signatures from my neighbours to protest against the swiftlet farm.
“If the swiftlet farm is not supposed to be here in the first place, why do we need to collect the residents’ signatures before action is taken?” the resident said.
When StarMetro visited the premises on Monday, employees of the business said the premises has been there for about 30 years and no fire has occurred.
“We fog the premises once a week in the evening to kill the mosquitoes,” one of them said.
Another added that they poured oil in containers which collect water to prevent mosquitoes from breeding.
On the swiftlet farm, an employee said they were in the midst of applying for the licence.
“Our tweeter (speaker to broadcast the chirps of swiftlets to attract the birds) is only turned on at 7am and is automatically switched off at 8pm,” he said.
They insisted that the farm would not contribute to hygiene problems as the birds only returned to the farm at night.
“The residents living directly opposite us have no qualms about our activities,” he said.
When contacted, Kajang assemblyman Lee Kim Sin confirmed receiving the complaint on the storage of the car spare parts.
“The business owner has expanded his business to a few houses but he should not use the lots as a garage to keep the parts.
“We are taking action through the MPKj and asking them to move to the industrial area,” he said.
However, the car workshop fronting the main road is still allowed to operate.
Lee said he was not aware about the swiftlet farm but would look into the problem.
“According to the guidelines issued by the federal government, swiftlet farms should not exist in residential area,” he said
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