Enforcement officers sniffing out those not separating waste

IF you’re residing on landed property in Kuala Lumpur, don’t be surprised to see uniformed personnel looking through your rubbish bins.

They are enforcement officers from the Solid Waste and Solid Cleansing Management Corp (SWCorp) checking to see if the population is separating their rubbish.

House-to-house checks are already being carried out in selected housing areas in Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, Pahang, Johor, Malacca and Negri Sembilan.

“The enforcement team is being mobilised under the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Act 672.    

“Before this, we have already started our public engagement by going from house to house telling people what is trash separation and how it should be done.

“Starting from today, we will issue friendly reminders to homeowners who have not separated their trash,” said Faridah Bahara Nordin from the enforcement and monitoring division of SWCorp during an operation at Precinct 18 in Putrajaya.  Read more .....

Only Restaurants, Hotels With Collective Agreements Can Impose Service Charges

PUTRAJAYA, April 6 (Bernama) -- Effective today restaurants and hotels without a collective agreement between employers and employees are not allowed to impose service charges.

Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperative and Consumerism (KPDNKK) secretary-general, Datuk Seri Alias Ahmad, said restaurants are required to display a notice if they want to impose service charges.

The service provider must explain the reason for imposing a service charge to the customer because the charge, which is an international practice, is beyond any control and bound between the customer and service provider, he said.

"It is the right of customers to decide not to pay service charges and there is no prescribed service charge rates," he said in a press conference with the Royal Malaysian Customs Department concerning the Goods and Services Tax (GST) here, today.

Alias said a working group had been formed comprising KPDNKK, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Human Resources and was working with the unions and associations of hotels to examine and review the issue.

"To date, there is no regulatory body or special ruling governing the collection of service charges thus the government is facing constraints in resolving the issue. Hence, I issued this directive today," he said.

In the event of any breach of the directive, consumers are required to report to the KPDNKK and the complaint will be investigated, he said.

Boom gates in residential areas legal, rules Federal Court

PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Court has ruled that the use of boom gates across public roads and guardhouses in residential areas is legal.

A five-member panel, chaired by Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin, said regulated access to a defined area was not an obstruction in law, particularly if it was for security purposes.

"It is so only if one is denied access to a public place. It is not a barricade that is placed across a public road that denies access altogether to all who wish to enter," said Justice Zulkefli in his 18-page judgment delivered on March 19.  ... READ MORE .......

Motorists urged to be wary of fake accidents

A FIELD trip to Putrajaya turned into a nightmare for a family from Bandar Damai Perdana, Cheras.

Choy Kien Mun, 74, and his wife Hsi Hsuen, 67, were taking their three relatives from Taiwan to visit the administrative capital.

However, en route, along Persiaran Damai Perdana, a motorcyclist and its pillion rider fell behind their car. Soon, three more motorcycles turned up.

According to Choy, who related their ordeal at a press conference at Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) councillor Evonne Lee’s service centre in Bandar Damai Perdana, the motorcyclists were in their 20s.

“Some started using their helmets to smash our windscreens and side mirrors. We suspected that one of them was high on drugs or something as he looked delirious while smashing our windscreens     Read more ......