KUCHING: Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong said a few telecommunication (telco) towers are actually built on lands which are gazetted or which have been specified to be used as recreation parks or playgrounds.
Violet said there are six controversial sites where telecommunication towers are erected close to housing estates and playgrounds. These are located at Taman Supreme, SK Bintawa, Kenyalang Traffic Garden Recreation Park at Kenyalang, Penrissen Height at Mile 12, Stampin Tengah and Taman Kampung Haji Baki.
Three of them, she said, are Children Playgrounds, namely at Stampin Tengah and Penrissen Height at Mile 12 and also at Kenyalang Traffic Garden Recreation Park.
“For example, at Taman Penrissen Heights at Mile 12, Stampin Tengah and at Kenyalang Traffic Garden Recreation Park; pertaining to these three telecommunication sites, the towers are built on lands which are used for children playgrounds.
“That is very wrong for Sacofa to do that and I would like to ask the State Government why there is no action taken against Sacofa,” she asked at a press conference at DAP Sarawak headquarters here yesterday.
The others which are built close to housing estates are Bintawa, Taman Supreme and Taman Kampung Haji Baki.
The one at Stampin Tengah is built just beside SESCO substation and according to Dr Kelvin Yii, special assistant to Bandar Kuching MP Chong Chieng Jen, there exists different potential energy from telco tower and the sesco substation and if there is a difference in potential energy there is a risk of getting shock because of the difference in potential energy.
Violet also questioned why Sacofa claimed that only antenna and equipment that are fixed on telecommunication towers that are considered legal , but still see that many antenna and equipment are still fixed on high rise buildings.
We still see so many of these equipment on high rise building. So far they say that they are looking into this area. So that means, there is inconsistency in the policy of the state government when it comes to erection or building of these telecommunication facilities.
On one hand you said it is illegal to have it on the buildings, but on the other hand you still see so many of them on it. And there is no enforcement action against those that have been mounted or built on top of roof tops of high rise buildings.
Violet said DAP has suggested to the government that they must fine-tune their policies on telecommunication towers.
The policy must improve or fine-tune it because at the moment there are so much unhappiness and strong opposing voices on the ground for Sacofa to build telco tower. So they must find -tune and for good policies they must always put the interest of the public or the local residents first,” she said.
