UGLY SIGHT: The concrete bridge and pile of leaves have become an eyesore and breeding ground for mosquitoes.
KUCHING: Residents of Taman Satria Jaya are seeing red over the dilapidated state of their park situated at Lorong D, which is fast becoming a thriving breeding ground for mosquitoes and other potential dangers.
Stephanie Yap, 37 a mother of one who frequents the park, said that countless requests were made to the Kuching City South Council (MBKS) to keep a regular maintenance schedule for their park but it was never taken seriously.
“The council did come to clean up the place, but all the piles of leaves and fallen branches were kept at the shoulder of the road or thrown into the bushes,” lamented Yap.
Seeing more than 20 joggers a day at the park, Yap also said that besides suffering from mosquito bites, the joggers have to jog in the dark as the floodlights are covered by overgrown trees.
“There were a few floodlights erected around the park two years ago, but it was not until recently when two of them became functional,” said Yap adding that the council had previously claimed that there was electricity connection for the park.
At dusk, Yap said that some joggers even brought along their own torchlight’s to light their way along the uneven paths and avoid running into the piles of leaves left at the shoulder of the pavement.
“Even the trees along the main roads are not trimmed regularly; at one time a branch fell on the overhead electricity cables and residents here had to go without electricity for two days,” she added.
Satria Jaya residents using the park had several proposals to make the park more children friendly.
“There used to be a small playground here, but the play items have become rotten and it was dismantled years ago but till today there is no proper place for the children to play; it’s now a spot for people to loiter at night,” said Yap.
She also said that the children in the area have resorted to playing badminton at the main road risking themselves to possible accidents.
Lastly, Yap said that the monsoon drains were not covered and a small concrete bridge at the park was without proper handles.