IPOH is confronted with the difficult task of keeping hundreds of vacant properties from becoming an eyesore – and as well as nests for rodents, snakes and insects. Such properties with overgrown bushes and lallang are seen not only in the outskirts but also within the city, including some elite residential areas.

This causes a setback to the city council’s efforts to eradicate dengue as the premises can be breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes. Faced with the situation, the Mayor Datuk Roshidi Hashim recently appealed to the State government to consider revoking the land titles of owners of such neglected properties.

Roshidi said the authorities must initiate action, including taking back the land, because they have been left idle for too long.

“The council has to pay contractors to clean up the land. We do not get any return as the council uses payments, such as assessments by the public to maintain the lots. Such idle land is a hideout for insects and snakes, which can endanger the lives of the people,” he said after attending a dialogue with residents of Kg Tersusun Sengat, where about 200 housing lots have been left idle for years.

There were many such lots in the city, he lamented, in areas such as Bercham, Ampang and even elite areas like Taman Golf. This problem has been going on for decades. In 1994, the city council, which was then under Datuk Ismail Shah Bodin, took a serious view of the matter as neglected properties, besides causing inconveniences, were also a heartache to those in the neighbourhood.

Hundreds of owners were issued with notices to clear their land of overgrown bushes. The city council would engage contractors to clear the properties of those who did not comply, and add the costs into the owners’ assessment bills.

Numerous complaints were then received by the city council from residents living next door to vacant properties. It made them uneasy, they said. “One never knows what creepy things crawly may make their home in the tall grass.”

And yes, they also went back to the fact that the wretched areas could be breeding grounds for mosquitoes. One of the obstacles has been to locate the registered property owners to serve the notices. Among the culprits are financial institutions, government agencies and privatised companies which own buildings and land in the city. Including abandoned projects.

Some financial institutions have repossessed houses and land pledged as collateral for loans. They seem not in a hurry to sell off the properties to recover the balance of the loans. They are probably waiting for an opportune time, to sell the properties and recover the loans with interest.

The situation has been made worse by squatters who have been allotted housing lots under the planned kampung scheme but have yet to build their houses. The State government is empowered to take action, including repossessing the housing lots for failure to build within the stipulated two-year period.

In fact, the State government had repossessed the land from a few owners. However, the State government has been lenient on this timeframe as it is aware that some of the squatters may not be able to afford to do so. Judging from the mayor’s appeal, all previous actions taken to deal with the problem have not proven effective.

The city council today, issues compound fi nes of up to RM250 for failure to maintain the lots. Despite this uphill task, the city council needs to show it is not powerless against those who neglect their property. Better enforcement?

● Jerry Francis is a veteran journalist and a former bureau chief of the New Straits Times. He is an advocate of good governance.