Homeowners unhappy with nuisance created by TM, CelcomDigi
Published on: Tuesday, June 11, 2024
By: Sidney Skinner
This TM pole in the Pengalat Besar area is no longer upright (pic left) and the wires dangling down make it difficult for this homeowner in Kg Santing to drive in and out of his residence.
A LIKAS homeowner and another from Papar have spoken out about the nuisance created by the telecommunications installations near their respective properties.
The former bemoaned the noise coming from a generator which services a transmission tower, near Taman Prestij.
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The Papar resident, on the other hand, was unhappy about the damaged telephone cables dangling down across the access road to his house in the Pengalat Besar area.
Both individuals provided Hotline with the pertinent details, including the location of the telecommunications structures in question. This information was forwarded to CelcomDigi and Telekom Malaysia (TM) Bhd.
The noise given off by the generator (pic left) which powered the portable base station was a source of nuisance to those living in Taman Prestij and telecommunications structures like this are supposed to have a 20m setback from the nearest residential buildings.
A CelcomDigi spokesperson said a preliminary check was made of the installation in the vicinity of Taman Prestij shortly after the company was contacted by the media.
The officer confirmed that the structure belonged to the company.
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“After investigating the situation, the portable base station site in question has been switched off and will be relocated soon,” the spokesperson said.
“It was assembled earlier as a temporary site as part of our efforts to enhance the services within the area.”
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The officer apologised, on behalf of the company, for the inconvenience caused to the residents.
KAIYA of Likas said the generator was located on some undeveloped land which was a few hundred meters away from where she stayed in Taman Prestij.
“The noise and vibrations from the device are a nuisance as it prevents me and my family from getting a good night’s rest,” she said.
“This is especially so late at night when there are less cars on the road and the surrounding sounds have died down.”
She said the nuisance created by the generator first arose early last month.
“I made several phone calls to the local authorities, including the Police, to no avail.”
She wanted to know whether the telecommunications company had obtained permission from the relevant authority, prior to having the tower and generator placed in the area.
“Is the generator licenced under the Electricity Supply Act 1990 and is this level of noise permissible under the existing environmental laws?
Kaiya hoped the relevant agency would intervene before anything unpleasant occurred and lives were lost.
Her grievance was also passed on to City Hall.
A spokesman for the authority said the resident’s claims would have to be verified.
“Our officers will inspect the area and liaise with the landowner and telecommunications’ firm which owns the installation, before proceeding with further action,” he said.
“We will have to determine whether the landowner sought our permission before the installation was put up on his/ her property.”
He said City Hall also required that a setback be observed between telecommunications structures – such as transmission towers or monopoles – and the nearest residential buildings.
“A distance of 20 metres should separate one from the other.”
Meanwhile, TM is checking on the condition of a telephone pole and some cables outside a home in Kg Santing in the Pengalat Besar area of Papar.
A spokesman for the company said the pole would be set back up right if it was found to be leaning over.
“An additional pole may be put in place to ensure that the overhead lines near the premises are properly supported,” he said.
“We were made to understand that several cables are dangling down into the air space for the subscriber’s drive way.
“If this is true, we will have these obstructions removed.”
DAUD of Papar said the top of his car had been scratched by the cables which hung down.
“I have to drive carefully to ensure that the ends of the wires do not scrape on my vehicle,” he said.
“The pole to which they are attached has gradually begun to bend over so, despite my best efforts, it has become more and more difficult to ensure that my car doesn’t come in contact with the damaged cables.”
He suspected that the cables might have been cut by metal-thieves in some misguided attempt to steal the copper inside.
“I reported the problems, which have arisen because of the wires dangling down, to staff at a TM office one month ago but, so far, nothing has been done to deal with these hindrances.”
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