SEPANG: Residents affected by flash floods in Bandar Baru Salak Tinggi here were incensed when they found their damaged vehicles issued with compound summonses by the Sepang Municipal Council (MPS) for illegal parking.
After flood waters receded last week, the residents had moved their vehicles to a nearby car workshop to have them repaired and cleaned.
Despite notes being left by a few owners on their cars stating the vehicles were affected by flash floods, the summonses were still issued and left on the vehicles, adding salt to injury.
Equally upset by the action taken by the council was MPS councillor Dr Teo Lian Seng.
He said the cars were neatly parked by a road shoulder opposite the workshop and were not obstructing traffic.
Teo said he went over to the location on Friday after being alerted and was taken aback to see summonses on about 25 cars.
“This is totally unacceptable and should not have happened. This is the work of Little Napoleons in the council. It was not a gazetted parking lot and undoubtedly, they can fine the car owners but this is not the time to do it. There is no need to be overzealous,” he told theSun.
Teo, whose house in Dengkil was also hit by floods, said he had raised the matter with top officials of MPS who also agreed that the summonses should not have been issued considering the circumstances.
The councillor also offered to pay the fines for the affected car owners should the council choose not to cancel the summonses.
“The fine of RM10 is small but the amount does not matter. Knowing the vehicle owners were badly hit by the floods, the law should be executed with compassion. I will pay the fines if MPS does not write them off,” he said.
Photos of the vehicles with traffic summonses stuck to windscreens were shared on social media, drawing flak from netizens.
Social media users empathised with the car owners, saying they should not be further burdened as they had suffered enough losses in the floods.
However, MPS said the issuance of summonses was justified as most of the cars at the said area were not damaged by floods.
Council president Datuk Abd Hamid Hussain said 51 cars parked in the area were issued summonses as no parking coupons were displayed by the owners or the workshop proprietor as required by MPS.
He said exemption was given to a white Perodua Myvi as it was covered in mud left by floodwater.
Abd Hamid also said MPS was not informed of any flood-hit cars being parked in the area.
“Had we been told earlier, we would definitely have assisted in preparing a parking area for flood-affected cars and not taken any action,” he said.
Abd Hamid said action was initiated on Thursday as the area had become a dumping spot for abandoned and old cars.
“This is not the first time we have taken action in the area. In the past, we had towed away abandoned cars only to find more junk cars dumped there. Hence, our action is justified.
“As for owners of flood-damaged vehicles, MPS is prepared to cancel the illegal parking summonses issued to them,” he said.
