Ara Damansara

Source: the Star May 9th

AN uprooted tree blocking the back lane in Jalan PJU1A/3M in Taipan 1, Ara Damansara, Petaling Jaya has the business community up in arms.

The tree fell over last Thursday following a downpour and is now blocking the entire back lane, forcing drivers to reroute to get out of the area.

Many are worried the other trees along the stretch will also come down, causing more damage to the buildings.

Business owner Ben Liew said it would be a disaster waiting to happen if the trees were not trimmed.

“Nothing has been done so far and calls to Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) have gone unanswered,” he said.

They are worried the downpours during the current rainy spell will lead to the collapse of the entire slope along the back lane.

“The back lane is also used as an emergency route. If something untoward happens, we will be stuck,” he added.

Liew’s complaint comes weeks after StarMetro highlighted the lack of maintenance in the area.

Shortly after, MBPJ complaints department director Tengku Nazaruddin Tengku Zainuddin immediately sent over contractors to clean up the mess in the area.

Some of the trees were even trimmed but Liew feels a long-term solution must be found.

“We are thankful to Tengku Nazaruddin for clearing the mess but more must be done to clean up Taipan 1,” said Suresh Rai, who works there.

He said he was also glad that streetlights had been installed.

Tengku Nazaruddin said the area had not been handed over to the local council, making it difficult for them to carry out any work.

She was roaming in front of our house @ Embun.  She’s got a choke-chain on.  Very friendly.  We’ve given her biscuits and water which she gladly ate.  We’ve tied her up at our guardhouse on PJU 1A/22.  Owner, please come claim her.

” We often read or hear of robberies etc . Tonight my friends and I were having dinner at Lala Chong seafoood restaurant in Subang, Ara Damnsara .  At 8.45 pm , the place was full nearly 20 tables open air coffee shop  atmorphere, suddenly the table next to us stood up and started running.  We were not sure what was happening, but I then glimpsed a young skinny guy with a long parang running towards the tables . We all ran Helter skelter  in all directions . Some hid in the bush , some ran upstairs and a group  of 10 including myself ran to the nearby handphone shop and took refuge there . After 5 mins , we saw 3 motor bikes leaving . 8 indian guys on 3 bikes yes 3 , 3 , 2 , robbed the patrons n cashier . They took whatever that was on the table, as we fled but there was an old lady who could not run . As she clung on to her bag , they threaten to chop her hand , luckily she let her bag go . We called the police that arrived half hour later . I lost my hp but for me and my group of friends this was the first  time we experienced something like this .Scary n my balls are still in my throat as I write . Take care guys. Ven”

“There has been numerous cases of robberies and theft in Ara Damansara over the last couple of weeks. Last Tuesday at about 9:30 pm Lala Chong Restaurant was robbed; 3 weeks ago on a Sunday at about 6:30 am, Restoran Kapitan was robbed; 2 days ago, (Tue.) at about 11:30 pm Hing Fatt restaurant was robbed.

Hence to ensure the safety of our community, we shall be locking the gate facing Ara Greens development (along Jalan PJU 1A/20) after 7:30 pm and the other two gates in the park at 9:00 pm. So please take note. Thank you. – cplim”

The Malaysian Spring movement is gaining momentum. Spring flowers are sprouting all over the country and overseas too!

Come and join us next Wednesday May 1st @ 8am at the main entrance to Ara Damansara.

Several teams are hard at work making these flowers. We plan to plant some 3500 flowers in front of the big signage at the entrance. Please come and join the fun.

It will be a beautiful scene. Brightly coloured flags flapping in the wind. We can create our own designs too. It’s only up to our imaginations. It will be great photo spot so don’t forget your cameras.

Please bring along a hammer to help with the planting. We also need a videographer who can record this memorable occasion.

We hope to see you all there!

If you are not awared, there is a movement called Malaysian Spring, started by a group of individuals coming together with this brilliant idea!

As we all know, Spring is the season after Winter. Winter is associated with cold and darkness and for certain groups of underprivileged; hardship, survival and sometimes suffering. People look forward to Spring because Spring brings sunshine, hope, blooming flowers, happiness and laughter and for some, a new life.

So this brilliant idea is to plant small little colorful flags representing flowers with the message of hope and change and getting people to participate in the process of making a better Malaysia through the simple gesture of planting flowers in their own neighbourhood.

The group started their project by planting these flowers at a roundabout at Lucky Garden, Bangsar and it received unexpected publicity because DBKL came promptly to dismantle them. Well, in the end, people’s power prevailed

In this neighbourhood, I am sure, many of us will want to support this message of hope and change.

We can create our own flower gardens at the main entrance to our neighbourhood and at the traffic junctions.

We can do this as a gotong-royong next Saturday (27th Apr).

Logistically though, it is quite a challenge. The cost of each flag is about 30 sen and we will sponsor the first 3000 pieces. But we need some man power: we need folks with sewing skills; we also need people to do some quick assembly.

Do we have your support please?

Please let us know if you do.

Source: Malaysian Crime Awareness Campaign FB

Date: 16th April 2013, Time: Dinnertime
Location: At a restaurant in Ara Damansara, Petaling Jaya

Dear friends, my husband just encountered a really ridiculous incident while out for dinner. A bunch of guys marched into the restaurant with machetes n robbed the customers there outright.

Thank god my husband n his friends were sitting outside at the open air area and managed to escape, but not so fortunate for some customers sitting inside.

When they return to look for my husband’s phone which he left on the table while escaping, it was gone and all the ladies at the restaurant had lost their handbags, jewelry and mobile phones..

Please be extra alert and be careful with your surroundings.

Just imagine, 2 unpleasant incidents in one morning. First meeting a rude “pendatang” guard (2nd from left in the picture), showing you some rude hand signs and then saying that says that he can’t activate the security bar to let you in. Especially, when you have a sticker to show that you are a resident. Mind you, I don’t face the same problem earlier. Had to park the car and walk home!
Thought that the issue was settled when the guards officials came. I must say that they were very professional in dealing with the problem.
Just when you thought that everything have been resolved amicably, came an extremely rude and uncivilized Calarosa resident shouting and screaming. So uncultured………. He thinks, he owns the garden. Piss……….

Finally!

MBO has decided to give some free screening. Starting this Thursday till next Tuesday, there will be free tickets to some old movies, one movie per day with up to 5 shows a day.

All you need to do is to pick up a form at Citta Mall reception counter on the ground floor or at the MBO cinema on the 3rd floor, fill in your name, your age and answer one more question on how you knew about this free screening.

Then proceed to a counter at the MBO cinema and get your free tickets. It’s first come first served until all tickets are given out.

So if you have some time to spare, go and pick up a ticket now.

Source: theStar Apr 10

ONCE an upmarket commercial area, Taipan 1 in Ara Damansara has now become a rubbish dump, largely due to the lack of maintenance in the area.

The deterioration began early last year after the regular waste collectors abruptly stopped their services.

The area is strewn with rubbish, and the backlanes are a nightmare for the business community.

Drains are clogged with rubbish and dried leaves, making it an idle breeding ground for aedes mosquitoes.

The sewage system is also clogged, bringing about an unbearable stench.

Suresh Rai, who works in one of the offices in the area, said the backlanes of Jalan PJU1A/3M were piled with rubbish and could no longer be used.

“The piles of rubbish block our exit routes. The road is also littered with nails and sharp objects that puncture vehicle tyres. We are afraid to use the route,” he said.

Suresh said it was dangerous to close off the exit as it was a vital route in the event of an emergency.

The place, once a thriving business area, is now left with a mere 50% of occupancy.

The empty blocks are a sore sight, with an irresponsible business operator even burning furniture on the road.

Even after being reprimanded by concerned neighbours, the operator’s workers are unperturbed and continue to burn the unwanted items out in the open.

Business owner Chris Lee, said the streetlights have been faulty for about a year now but no action had been taken yet despite complaints lodged with Tenaga Nasional Berhad as well as Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ).

“The streets are usually deserted at night and that is when it is dangerous.

“A group of boys, armed with parang, roam the area and steal whatever they can get their hands on,” added Lee.

He said they had stolen cables, water meters and had even broken into the shoplots.

Many of the owners have had to spend huge sums of money to carry our repairs.

“We feel like we have been abandoned.

“It is as if we live in another country,” said Lee.

A business owner, who wished to remain anonymous, said the roads in the area were riddled with potholes, as a result of lack of maintenance.

During StarMetro’s visit to Taipan 1, the team saw councillor Azri Mohamad Arish and MBPJ complaints department director Tengku Nazaruddin Tengku Zainuddin making a site visit.

Tengku Nazaruddin said this was his third visit to the area after receiving complaints from the building owners and business community.

He said they were now calling for tenders from waste disposal companies to clean up Taipan 1.

“This may take about two weeks to look into.

“We hope to resolve all the problems as soon as possible,” said Azri.

Dear Residents,

ARADAMANSARA.com was setup 8 years ago with a sole purpose, which is to improve the lives of the residents in the neighbourhood. As you know the General Election is near, I would love to compile a list of feedbacks from you in terms of the performance of our State government, the good, the bad and the ugly side of it. Feel free to comment your views in the comment box in such example:

Government: BN/PKR
Review: Good/Bad/Ugly
Description: They helped us built road blablabla

Kindly practice self-moderate in your comments. Thanks.