KUCHING: Kuching South Mayor Datuk James Chan hopes that residents living in areas under Kuching City South Council (MBKS) will work hand in hand with the council if they want to build structures for neighbourhood watch and security posts.
He said he had heard of a certain federal government grant that was available to build neighbourhood watch and security posts around the country, and feared that the residents would build the structures without the consent of MBKS.
Speaking during a neighbourhood watch briefing with local community leaders at the MBKS building here yesterday, he however did not reveal where the grant would be from.
The briefing was conducted by the state National Integration and Unity Department.
“Someone called me personally and informed me such grant exists. Whatever it is, true or not, people living under MBKS’ area of jurisdiction should first consult the council or the Land and Survey Department before building them,” he added.
One of the reasons why consent must be obtained from the council or the department before the structures could be built, he said, was that the land where they would be built was under their authority.
“We are not discouraging anyone from building such structures, but all things built, especially in MBKS area, should go through the right procedures first, and agreement between the builder and the authorities,” he said.
Apart from that, he expressed concern that the structures could become ‘white elephants’ or dens for illicit activities should members of the public or a particular neighbourhood lost interest in matters related to security in their area.
“In the end, it is the city council such as MBKS that has to do all the work such as demolishing
these structures. We don’t want such things here,” he stressed.
Hence he called on everyone intending to build neighbourhood security and watch posts to meet and discuss the matter with the city council first.