KUALA LUMPUR: For many years, residents of 64 Public Housing (PA) and People's Housing Projects (PPR) were forced to endure the presence of over 2,000 abandoned vehicles invading the parking lots in their premises.
Of this number, a total of 888 are cars with the rest are motorcycles, some of which are stripped down to their frames.
Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur PA and PPR Associations Coalition chairman Ismail Shaari said that the number of abandoned vehicles increases every year, which compelled them to raise the matters with the authorities including the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).
Ismail said the explanation received from DBKL over the issue was due to the lack of space to store abandoned vehicles found in PA and PPR areas.
"As such, on behalf of the coalition, our proposal to DBKL is to appoint a consultant or a special contractor to resolve this issue in the 2025 Budget.
"A specific budget allocation should be made to address the problem since this has become a long-standing issue. If a special budget is not allocated, it will be difficult.
"DBKL could provide new areas to be turned into storage locations for the abandoned vehicles," he told Harian Metro.
Ismail, who is also the PA Desa Rejang Residents' Association chairman, also said there were 119 abandoned cars and 96 abandones motorcycles in his area alone.
He also listed several concerns if the ongoing issue of abandoned vehicles is not resolved.
He said if a fire were to occur in a public housing or people's housing project area, the presence of abandoned vehicles would hinder firefighters from accessing the area to put off the fire.
"Fires can spread quickly, leading to potential loss of life. We do not want this to happen," he said.
He added that another issue is that these vehicles can become breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
"This area is a dengue hotspot. Many people have contracted dengue.
"Abandoned vehicles, such as those without doors or roofs, can collect rainwater, turning the area into a breeding ground for mosquitoes," he said, adding that abandoned vehicles are an eyesore in PPR areas.