KUALA LUMPUR: In the almost two years since a voluntary vehicle disposal programme was introduced in Ampang Jaya, Selangor, some 50 cars have been surrendered to the local authority.
This means that there are at least 50 fewer cars that could otherwise have been discarded or abandoned by roadsides and in housing areas.
While this may not seem like a huge number, each surrendered vehicle frees up space, cuts safety risks and eases pressure on improper disposal, said Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ).
Its Enforcement Department director, Addy Hissham Elias, said the programme, pioneered by MPAJ in late 2022, was to encourage registered owners to dispose of their vehicles responsibly.
“There is no fee involved for this service.
“All the owner has to do is fill out an online form with their details and add images of the vehicle.
“We will then carry out due diligence to ensure that the vehicle in question is fully owned by the individual, among other checks,” he told StarMetro.
Addy Hissham said this included verifying that the vehicle had no outstanding loans, was not blacklisted and had no links to criminal activity.
“This process ensures that all vehicles disposed of through the programme meet necessary legal and regulatory requirements.”
He added that MPAJ also offered to tow vehicles to its depot if the owner was unable to get it there.
“The owner needs to have the required documentation including car grant and deregister the vehicle with Road Transport Department (JPJ).
“Some people have complained that it is troublesome to visit JPJ to revoke ownership of their vehicle.
“Because of this, MPAJ facilitated a special session where these owners and JPJ officers could come to Menara MPAJ in Pandan Indah to carry out the process,” said Addy Hissham, adding that about six owners showed up.
“It was a test session to see if it was a workable idea.
“We might consider doing this again in the future if there are enough interested people.”
The surrendered vehicles are sent to MPAJ depots, after which they will be considered for disposal through public auction or scrapping.
Addy Hissham said the initiative provided another avenue for people to properly dispose of their vehicles.
He said many people tended to dump their cars in public areas because they did not want to go through the hassle of towing vehicles to an authorised scrap centre.
“Vehicle disposal is not a complicated process, but it does require some effort.
“Some are also put off by towing fees which can cost up to several hundred ringgit.
“So they opt for the easy way out by abandoning their vehicles in back lanes, residential carparks and industrial areas,” he said.
MPAJ's depot in Ampang Campuran is at capacity as the process to dispose of vehicles can be long and tedious.
With more than 500 abandoned vehicles yet to be collected from residential and commercial areas in Ampang Jaya, MPAJ has its work cut out for it in resolving this perennial issue.
The council’s six depots, which can accommodate up to 900 vehicles, have run out of space.
According to Addy Hissham, there were at least 100 complaints that were still pending, with more coming in each day.
However, MPAJ is seeing some expediency in disposing of abandoned vehicles with the introduction of Guidelines for the Management of Abandoned Vehicles.
Developed by the Housing and Local Government Ministry (KPKT) in 2020, the guidelines empower the local authorities to manage abandoned vehicles through a court process that would cut down the length of time needed to dispose of them.
Addy Hissham said the guidelines allowed for the management period for abandoned vehicles to be shortened to two to four months compared to eight to 12 months previously.
“There are improvements to the procedure, such as the inclusion of court forfeiture orders, vehicle inspections at Puspakom and the process for ownership transfer or registration cancellation,” he added.
Previously, the standard operating procedure involved issuing a notice to remove the obstruction (vehicle).
After a period of time, the vehicle is towed to a depot and a notice sent to the owner, allowing them to claim the car.
If unclaimed, a second notice is issued before the vehicle is disposed of.
“We encountered many problems with this process, one of which was locating the owner’s current address,” said Addy Hissham.
“Many people do not bother to update their registered address with JPJ when they move, although it is mandatory.
“This caused a pile-up of vehicles at our depots.”
He hoped the new guidelines and the voluntary car disposal programme would efficiently deal with the issue of abandoned vehicles.
