CCTVs lessen crime by 30% - The Star

IPOH: Street crime has dropped by 30% since the first batch of CCTVs was installed at selected local authorities throughout the country.

Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Chor Chee Heung said the CCTVs had proven to be a success in curbing street crime, and the ministry would install more CCTVs under the 10th Malaysia Plan.

“The target is to reduce street crime by 15% by the end of the year, and we have already achieved that,” Chor said after visiting the Ipoh City Council CCTV Control Room here yesterday.

Live feed: Perak executive council member Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon (second from left) showing Chor (left) the CCTV monitors during his visit to the Ipoh City Council yesterday. Looking on is Roshidi (right).

“We will add 456 units at selected local authorities in Malaysia, including Sabah and Sarawak next year.”

Ipoh Datuk Bandar Datuk Roshidi Hashim said 24 units in Ipoh city were installed between Feb 15 and July 15 and the city council planned to install 76 more units soon.

“Pictures from CCTV feeds can be produced as evidence in court,” he said.

“Criminals will think twice before committing a crime now.”

Ipoh-KL electric train fare RM30-35 - The Star

By ROSHIDI ABU SAMAH

BATU GAJAH: KTMB will charge a fare between RM30 and RM35 for the Electric Train Service (ETS) between Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur scheduled to be in operation in the first week of August.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said the fare was just as the goverment had taken into consideration the welfare of potential commuters.

"The fare can be considered cheap. KTMB had initially applied for a fare of RM50 but it was rejected by the government.

"We want to encourage the public to use the ETS which is more comfortable and safe compared to express bus services. That is why we want the ETS fare to be competitively priced," he told reporters after the opening of KTMB complex by Sultan Perak Sultan Azlan Shah here Tuesday.

Kong added that there would be five ETS trains that would provide eight return trips for the Kuala Lumpur-Ipoh route daily. The first train will leave at 5am and the last at 11pm.

He said KTM would increase the numbers of trips if there was a great demand for the services especially during festivals.

"We are planning to get the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) himself to launch the new train service at a date to be decided," he added.

With a speed of 140km/h, the ETS is expected to reduce travel time between Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur to about two hours from three hours previously.

Meanwhile, Kong said the new KTMB complex, built in a 75ha area, cost of about RM400mil.

He said the project was started in November 2006 and completed in November 2008.

Standstill in Waller Court talks - The Star

By CHAN LI LEEN (lileen@thestar.com.my)

IPOH: Talks to redevelop the 48-year-old Waller Court flats, which began in the 1990s, seem to be going at a snail’s pace.

Local leaders insist that any plans to upgrade the place, which is one the oldest low-cost flats here, must be done in consultation with its residents.

Ipoh Barat MCA division chief Datuk Tan Chin Meng said the Ipoh City Council should listen to the people and take heed of their views and concerns.

Time for a touch up?: Two residents talking outside the Waller Court flats, which was built 48 years ago.

“All three parties involved – the residents, the council and the state government – must sit down and talk things through before anything is decided upon.

“In any case, all three parties must agree to redevelop Waller Court,” Tan said at a family event organised by the Ipoh Barat Wanita MCA division at the flat here yesterday.

Tan said the residents must first form a committee if they wanted to get their views across to the council and state government.

“They should get the help of their Rukun Tetangga to set up the committee while I will try my best to help by meeting the Ipoh mayor on this,” he added.

It was recently reported that the council was mulling the idea again of redeveloping the 48-year-old Waller Court.

The 532-unit Waller Court owned by the council is currently tenanted by 465 families.

“In fact, the flat is very old and a lot of money is spent on maintenance but only superficial improvements can be carried out.

“It is not that easy to renovate,” Tan said.

He noted that besides consulting the residents, the council must also be able to guarantee them a place to move back in following the redevelopment exercise.

“The residents must have the assurance that they get to stay on at the present location, not elsewhere,” he said.

Tan related that a similar suggestion to redevelop Waller Court in the 1990s was shot down by residents as it had required them to be relocated to Lahat.

“These people have been staying here all their lives. Most of them also work here.

“They are very used to living in the city centre and it is unfair to make them move away,” he said, adding that the already dull city centre would go dead with the departure of the flat residents.

Tan, who is also Perak MCA secretary, suggested a scheme to allow current residents to own the units after the flat was redeveloped.

“Like what was previously proposed by then Mentri Besar Tan Sri Ramli Ngah Talib, why not convert the residents’ past rental payments into a form of down payment whereas those who do not want to purchase the units be given the freedom to continue renting?” he asked.

Wholesale mart to open next month (The Star)

Thursday July 22, 2010

THE National Food Terminal (Teman) in Simpang Pulai near Ipoh will begin operation next month.

State Federal Agriculture Marketing Authority (FAMA) director Basri Jasmo said all wholesale activities would be conducted from the terminal.

“Be it livestock, vegetables and flowers from all over the country, you can find it here,” he told reporters yesterday, adding that products from overseas would also be available at Teman.

The products in Teman, he said, would be ready packed following FAMA 3P ruling, adding that the Ps stood for pengredan (grading), pembungkusan (packaging) and penglabelan (labelling).

Asked on the fate of the wholesale market in Falim, Basri said traders would be allowed to continue trading there.

“But we hope they will trade at Teman where 300 lots have been allocated for them,” he said, noting that traders at the Falim market could start applying for the trading lots at Teman now.

On the advantage of trading at Teman, Basri said FAMA had devised a system where farmers and wholesalers would know the price of the goods sold nationwide.

“Complaints of any party being short changed will not arise with this system,” he said.

On a separate matter, Basri said FAMA would have its 25th anniversary celebration for pasar tani at the Perak Stadium this Saturday from 7am. Among the activities to be held are a cooking demonstration, health checks and colouring contests.

MB opens 'Zambry clinic' to solve people's problems - Malaysiakini

Perak Menteri Besar Zambry Abdul Kadir has set up the 'Klinik Dr Zambry' to make easier his task of solving the people's problems and for the people to see him.

He said his 'mobile clinic' was open to everybody, including opposition members and supporters.

“This clinic is an extension of the meet the people programme which we have held.

“Previously, we held dialogues, but I still feel there is a gap between me and the people,” he told reporters after a monthly assembly with state government officers in Ipoh today.

He said the government's move in changing the venue of its weekly state executive council meeting to the districts and villages was part of an effort to reduce bureaucracy and provide opportunities for local residents to voice their problems.

At the function, Zambry also launched the Perak state secretariat short messaging service (SMS) which enabled the public to send their complaints or check the status of their applications with the relevant state agencies by sending them to mySMS 15888.

They will be charged 35 sen for each SMS.