SEREMBAN: The Negri Sembilan government has given a period until Dec 31 to 47 resort and chalet operators in the state that are identified as being at risk to obtain Planning Permission approval and the Certificate of Completion and Compliance (CCC).
State Local Government Development, Housing and Transport Committee chairman J. Arul Kumar said if they fail to do so, then the local authority will take closure or confiscation action against their premises.
He said of the 47 premises, 40 are in Seremban, four in Jelebu while the rest are in Rembau, with most of the locations being on hillsides.
"We have embarked on this since Jan 18 last year, but the majority of them still refuse (to comply).
"This time we are being more strict as we have given them enough time.
"We also plan to list the names of the premises to ensure the public knows which resorts or chalets do not have the CCC," he said at a press conference here today.
According to municipal councils' records, of the 47 units, only 12 operators were present when invited to discuss and be provided advisory services while the rest did not respond, he said.
He said they are still operating on online accommodation booking platforms such as booking.com.
Arul Kumar said from Jan 1 next year, the state Public Works Department is required to assist each local government to make an assessment and safety status report on premises built without the CCC.
When asked why most of the premises did not get the KM and CCC, he said it was probably because the status of the land was mostly agricultural land and no one wanted to confirm that the buildings were safe.
Therefore, he said that through this (Dec 31 deadline), the issue of entrepreneurs not being serious about applying for the KM and CCC from the local governments can be overcome for the safety of the public, especially visitors who are staying there.
He explained that indirectly other problems including premises construction structures that do not comply with standards, inadequacy of basic facilities and infrastructure, as well as other support facilities other than waste management can be addressed.
He also did not rule out the possibility that there are other premises that do not have KM and CCC approval to operate in the state and continuous monitoring is being carried out by his team.
"We don't want to take action only when something happens… We do encourage more resorts or chalets to attract more tourists, but there needs to be a responsibility to ensure that the premises are safe and comply with the prescribed regulations," he added.– Bernama