PETALING JAYA, May 17 — Insufficient funds and lack of initiative by the state government to revive Bukit Beruntung has caused the Hulu Selangor District Council to lose millions of ringgit to maintain the area.

In a statement to Malay Mail recently, the council said it had worked beyond its scope to maintain the township.

“The council has lost RM36.5 million since the area was developed in 1997 as owners refused to pay their assessments,” the statement read.

“When developers go bust, we have to step in and help maintain the roads, street lights and drainage.

“There must be a concerted effort by the state and federal governments to revive the failed townships in Bukit Beruntung and Bukit Sentosa,” the council said.

The statement, signed by the council’s corporate communication officer Junainah Abdullah, said the council had to maintain certain projects in Bukit Beruntung after developer Europlus Corporation Sdn Bhd, a sub-company of Talam Corporation Bhd, was declared bankrupt in 1997. 

“The developers did not hand the areas under them to the local authority but we were forced to step in and take over the maintenance.”

The council has taken measures over the years to revive the area but admitted progress was slow.

Among the plans were to:

● Turn Bukit Beruntung and its surrounding areas into an automotive hub. Perodua, Tan Chong Motor, motorcycle assembling plant Benneli Keeway, Scomi Berhad (bus, monorail and trains assembling plant) and SMH rail are operating nearby.

● Have a Tesco distribution centre. The warehouse started operating in 2008, leading to the opening of a hypermarket in Bukit Sentosa in 2011.

● Get institutions to develop centres there. The police opened a training centre in Bukit Sentosa.

● Open schools in Bukit Beruntung. Since 2006, the council approved the establishment of two primary schools, two vernacular schools and a secondary school.

● Set up places of worship. There are two mosques and the third will be ready next month. 

● Maintain main roads in Bukit Beruntung and Bukit Sentosa. The council has registered the roads under the Malaysian Roads Records Information System (Marris). Last year, Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali said the state would use the annual allocation (about RM500 million) from Marris to repair and maintain roads in the state, including in Bukit Beruntung. 

● Set up more public amenities, including hospitals, fire stations and police stations.

● Introduce a bus service connecting Rawang, Bukit Beruntung, Rasa and Kuala Kubu Baru. Discussions were held with the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) regarding and they agreed to set up such a service.

● Establish a college or institute of higher learning with the assistance of Hulu Selangor MP P. Kamalanathan, who is also Deputy Education Minister. 

“The council is unable to roll out the plans on its own due to jurisdictional and funding limitations. We have been working with private entities to bring some progress to the area,” the statement said.

Perodua built a road from its factory in Sungai Choh to Bukit Sentosa — which serves as an alternative route for residents to use the North-South Expressway (Sungai Buaya toll) instead of entering or exiting the Bukit Beruntung toll plaza.

“Perodua also volunteered to repair Jalan Ros in Bukit Sentosa which costs RM9 million. Through such progress, houses in Adenium (a mixed development project in Bukit Sentosa) are now valued at RM300,000 each.

The council also approved the development of another golf course and residential area near Bukit Beruntung Golf and Country Club, the statement said.

There have been 13,279 transfers of property since 2008 while the council approved 25 plans for residential projects and 11 commercial projects in Bukit Beruntung and Bukit Sentosa.