Residents of Selayang in Selangor have been hoping for improved facilities at their local public parks for over 20 years. A resident named Chin expressed her disappointment at having to drive to a nearby park for her daily walk. Chin has been living near the Jalan Daya 10 neighbourhood field for almost thirty years. She mentioned that most of the parks near her home do not have a jogging track, forcing her to drive 1.5km to Taman Ehsan, which has a small jogging track. Chin finds this inconvenient and not environmentally friendly to use her car just for a morning walk. Moreover, she highlighted that flooding at the Jalan Daya 10 field is still a recurring issue. Despite some previous work done on the field, surface runoff remains on the ground for days after rain. Additionally, there are only two goalposts and two tall fences to prevent a football from landing on the road, which hardly meets the community’s needs. Neglect is also evident in the outer parts of the park, with drains filled with leaves and lots of mosquitoes, potentially leading to a high number of dengue cases in the area, according to Chin.
A community activist named Yee Poh Ping hopes that the authorities and elected officials will listen to the residents’ concerns. He pointed out that there are 10 neighborhoods in Selayang with parks lacking in facilities, including Taman Daya, Taman Ehsan, Taman Ehsan Jaya, Taman Sri Ehsan, Taman Desa Jaya, Taman Indah Perdana, Taman Bidara, Taman Wangsa Permai, Taman Selayang Jaya, and Taman Selayang Utama. He questions why these basic facilities have been overlooked for decades in Selangor, the wealthiest state in the country. Yee also mentioned that there is a park along Jalan Daya 26, but it is not large enough to cater to the residents’ needs. He recently submitted a proposal to the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) urging them to build a jogging track and install outdoor exercise equipment, allowing residents of all ages to enjoy the green space. Yee emphasized the importance of sticking to the authorities’ word of promoting a healthy lifestyle and urged them to properly plan upgrades so that current and future residents of Selayang can fully enjoy the parks. StarMetro reached out to MPS for comments but did not receive a response at press time.
Credit: The Star : Metro Feed
