PETALING JAYA, Aug 13 — A pet shop and grooming centre, a Montessori kindergarten and a solar panel showroom were among premises inspected by Kuala Lumpur City Hall in Bangsar Baru yesterday in a raid on residential houses being used for businesses.

The three premises were among 15 inspected in an operation involving some 50 officers from City Hall’s Seputeh branch office, enforcement, urban planning, building and legal department from 10am yesterday.

The operation also involved three officers from the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) and two police officers.

This is the second time City Hall had conducted operations in the same area this year.

The operations were led by City Hall’s urban planning department officer, Amran Muhammad.

“Checks were conducted yesterday after  complaints from the residents association in Bangsar Baru. We identified several defiant premises that ignored our previous notices.”

Amran said City Hall will decide on what action should be taken against these errant businesses next week.  

Residents complained about the businesses since 2005 as they caused congestion and raised safety issues in their neighbourhood.

Bangsar Baru Residents’ Association (BBRA) secretary Prem Kumar Nair, however, said problems had been going on for years and he was glad some serious action has been taken.

He, however, felt the checks conducted yesterday were a wasted opportunity because no direct action was taken by departments involved in the operations yesterday.

“Many of these premises are in a deplorable state, unhygienic and some are even operating without licences. City Hall should have the authority to seal off these  premises immediately instead of only slapping them with a compound fine.”

He said the council’s by-laws are outdated because City Hall appears to be bound within a certain jurisdiction.

“Whenever we question City Hall on certain matters pertaining to this illegal conversions, they are always referring us (BBRA) to many different departments because each department takes care of a specific area.”

—Prem said City Hall should amend the by-laws to ensure the problem would not recur in Bangsar Baru or even escalate in other areas. 

“It is great City Hall had come to conduct checks. We do hope that once the reports are ready, City Hall would inform BBRA on their next move.

“We have done our part as the eyes and ears of the neighbourhood to inform the authorities about the problem here. It is up to City Hall to carry out their duties accordingly,  because they do have the enforcement powers.”

Malay Mail Hotline highlighted the problem as far back as on October 7, 2013, in a report titled: “Bangsar residents slam City Hall for inaction over illegal businesses” where it was revealed that over 30 houses in Jalan Telawi, Jalan Telawi 6, Jalan Telawi 9 and Jalan Terasek 4 were converted into commercial units.

One house had even been converted into a hostel.

The facade of these lots are deceiving because there are no signboards or signages while the outward structure resembled a house.

Following that, on April 5, 2014, in a report titled “City Hall takes action against illegal businesses” where 29 units were checked and 19 errant houses were found in the area. 

City Hall notices were issued to the tenants to cease business and to vacate the premises.