KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 24): Hotels, chalets, restaurants and houses are among the 11 illegal structures erected on the hills in the southwest district of Penang, according to the 2014 Auditor-General’s Report.
The 11 illegal structures do not have a certificate of fitness (CF), which renders the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) unable to collect assessment tax, the report said.
The report said audit visits on June 17 and July 29 found illegally constructed chalets in Teluk Bahang and Sungai Ara, hotels in Teluk Kumbar, restaurants in Balik Pulau and houses in Balik Pulau and Teluk Bahang.
The restaurants are also operating without a business licence, the report said.
“The audit visits to Teluk Bahang found that two illegal structures were located in an area gazetted as Teluk Bahang reservoir in 2004. We also found a house and a chalet located on phase III slopes that were between 25 and 35 degrees,” the report said.
MBPP, in response, said two of the cases were at prosecution stage and two at summary action stage. It said a fine had been issued in one case and a notice for another. Five cases in Teluk Bahang would be tabled at a council meeting.
The report said that in addition to the illegal structures, an audit review of the notice to stop earthworks list from 2012 to March 16 revealed that earthworks took place without approval on 268 privately owned land lots.
According to the report, 31 land lots were at a height of more than 76m in am area classed highland and environmentally sensitive
“Audit visits between May 20 and July 20 found that earthworks, land excavation and slope cutting were done without the approval of MBPP and not conforming to the requirements of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA),” the report said.
The Auditor-General’s report listed five landowners’ defiance of a notice to stop earthworks during audit visits between June 8 and July 28. Three of these land lots were in Bukit Bendera and one each in Teluk Kumbar and Teluk Bahang.
“The situation has come about due to the failure of MBPP to monitor and regularly patrol after notices had been issued to the landowners.
“The effects lead to risk of soil erosion, landslides and mudslides,” the report said.
Source : theedgeproperty.com.my