KUCHING, March 17: The Shefford View Residents Committee (SVRC) has refuted claims that the neighbourhood community of Lorong Stampin Tengah 5E had “privatised the public road for exclusive use” as the guardhouse and boom gate had been set up for enhanced security purposes since 2005 before the Royal Richmond Condominium was developed.
In a media statement today, SVRC stressed that the Shefford View residents of the said lane have “never claim any road for his or her own use” as they understood that public roads are under the purview of municipal councils and local authorities.
“The allegation that the booth is being used as means to reserve the road for exclusive use and privatising of public road as published (in the news) is far from the truth,” SVRC said in the statement.
The committee was responding to claims and grievances raised by the condo residents and the Sarawak Community Policing Association (SCPA) recently that it was unlawful to privately barricade Lorong 5E and unfair to be denied access to the road which in fact leads to the proper front entrance of the condo.
SVRC explained that the development of Royal Richmond was approved in 2015 and construction commenced thereafter but the security guard house has been utilised by the Neighbourhood Watch for the purpose of safety, security and prevention of burglaries since 2005.
“During the outbreak of Covid-19, it also serves as a QR code station (recording and monitoring visits) to encourage all visitors to scan (their) My Sejahtera or Qmunity apps for the purpose of contact tracing before entering the neighbourhood.”
SVRC also pointed out the fact that the original conditions for the Amalgamation Variation of Titles Condition (AVTC) for Royal Richmond Condominium clearly stated that the entrance/exit at Lorong Stampin Tengah 5E was to be used only for “emergency, scavenging and servicing purpose” and not as the main entrance nor exit.
“The development scheme has been granted its own entry and exit towards the main road of Jalan Datuk Bandar Mustapha, and is served with approximate nine metre internal vehicular road, leading to the main exit and entry into the main arterial road of Jalan Datuk Bandar Mustapha.”
SVRC also asserted that Lorong Stampin Tengah 5E was originally constructed to cater to low volume traffic and to serve 57 houses located inside.
“With the width of the road at approximately five metres, this ‘local street’ can barely fit two-way traffic, what more to cater to a massive surge of traffic flow from the condominium.
“Imagine the predicaments of the house owners fronting this five-metre road that suddenly has to suffer the heavy traffic congestion at their door steps.”
SVRC thus appealed to SCPA to obtain further clarification from the developer as to the actual situation as well as to sympathise with the plight of the house owners along Lorong Stampin Tengah 5E.
Meanwhile, the disputes within the posh Richmond Hill neighbourhood between the Shefford View community and residents of Royal Richmond Condominium have been ongoing since the middle of 2020 and created a tense situation between these two neighbouring areas.
In an exclusive interview with DayakDaily on March 12, the condo residents expressed their extreme frustration and unhappiness over being denied access through Lorong 5E which could have been an alternative route for them instead of having to bear with the inconvenience of detouring, and encountering high traffic and congestion through Jalan Datuk Bandar Mustapha or the back door of the condo.
Based on a letter from the Land and Survey Department to the developer dated Sept 25, 2020, the Royal Richmond residents were very certain that their condo was accessible from two entrances — from the new 20m road (Jalan Datuk Bandar Mustapha) and Lorong Stampin Tengah 5E vide SPA Approval Plan Dated Jan 15, 2015 as stated that “Both are to be used as normal entrances/exits”.
They also revealed that the Land and Survey Department Kuching Division had on Aug 24, 2020 issued a notice to the SVRC chairman to remove the guardhouse and boom gate but it has yet to be enforced.
SCPA had also yesterday (March 16) via a media statement raised the same issue and called on the relevant authorities to mediate in order to come up with a solution or agreement to end the disputes between the parties.
Kuching South City Council (MBKS) mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng, who was aware of the disputes, had on March 13 explained to DayakDaily that Lorong 5E which has been privately barricaded had yet to be surrendered to the council’s jurisdiction.
Wee also revealed that he had gathered both parties and the developer in a meeting to iron out and resolve the issues in September last year in which a common consent was reached then whereby both communities were to follow the directives issued by the Land and Survey Department.
He thus hoped that both sides can still find compromise and abide by the Land and Survey Department’s directives.
Wee also pointed out clearly that MBKS will not take over the road, not until the conflict has been resolved by the Land and Survey Department. — DayakDaily
