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Protect parks or face shame |
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Thursday, 07 April 2005 |
 KUALA LUMPUR: Local authorities which defy orders to protect green lungs and open spaces meant for recreation will be made known to the public – that’s the order from the Government.
The directive issued by the Cabinet at its meeting in Putrajaya yesterday is meant to make the local authorities accountable.
Follow-up action will be taken against these authorities if there is no improvement in their performance.
Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said there
had been cases where land gazetted for parks and recreational
facilities were degazetted for development projects.
He said his ministry would submit to the Cabinet a progress report on
all local authorities’ compliance with an order from the National
Council for Local Government issued in August 2003 to:
# GAZETTE all green lungs, parks and open space, which have yet to be gazetted.
# PLACE all those which were already gazetted under their respective
state secretary for supervision to prevent any quarters from
degazetting the land for developmental purposes.
# UNDERTAKE early action to turn the gazetted open space into parks, gardens and playgrounds.
Ong said compliance with guidelines on green lungs and open space for
parks and recreational facilities in the past had been found to be “not
good enough.”
Certain quarters would apply to develop such land for purposes other
than what they were meant for, and there were local authorities which
relaxed the guidelines for them, he said.
He said land matters may be under the state governments' jurisdiction
but orders from the national council, chaired by the Deputy Prime
Minister and represented by all mentris besar, chief ministers and key
ministries, were also binding.
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