Quick response team to keep PJ clean

PETALING JAYA: The Petaling Jaya City Council has set up a Quick Response Team (QRT) to take immediate action on complaints about rubbish in the city.

After chairing the monthly full board meeting recently, Mayor Datuk Mohamad Roslan Sakiman announced the formation of the QRT, to be headed by council public complaints director Tengku Nazaruddin Zainudin.

The move supports the council which took over public cleansing and domestic waste collection from Alam Flora Sdn Bhd on Oct 16.

Tasks for the QRT are collection and clearing of garden wastes and domestic and illegal dumping wastes, spotted by the public and conveyed to the council on its hotline at 03-7954 2020.

Roslan said the QRT are made up of the health inspectors and personnel from the council health department urban services unit, which will monitor the work carried out by contractors.

"Currently, we have three health inspectors and 15 personnel to monitor the contractors," he said.

"We hope to have at least 25 more personnel to help out. They will work with the contractors and report to the health inspectors on their progress. This is to ensure public cleansing work and domestic waste collection are carried out properly by contractors."

He said the council had 23 contractors tasked with collecting domestic waste in Petaling Jaya, 67 for public cleaning and 10 responsible for garden wastes.

Out of the 23 contractors, 17 were formerly attached to Alam Flora, while six are newly appointed. The council has five more back-up contractors.

"The six new contractors are under probation till Dec 31. Their services will be evaluated and we will wait for instructions from the Selangor government," he said.

Roslan said the domestic waste and public cleansing work carried out by the contractors are under control.

"However, we have received complaints on garden wastes in areas such as Section 6 and Section 5. Teething problems are expected during this transitional period. Domestic waste and public cleaning works will improve with the support of the QRT," he said.

Apart from channelling their complaints to the hotline, the public can also send an SMS to 33213 or email to aduan@mbpj.gov.my

Source: By Dawn Chan (streets@nstp.com.my)