Residents want Ipoh cultural village to close after fatal incident

 

Taman Saikat residents said the Qing Xin Ling Leisure and Cultural Village had caused traffic congestion and disrupted their peace. (File pic)

IPOH: Residents of Taman Saikat have urged the state government, especially the Ipoh City Council (MBI), to close a cultural village here following the death of a local tourist bus driver who was killed by a falling rock last week.

Chairman of Taman Saikat residents’ committee Surindar Singh said they had submitted objections and complaints about the Qing Xin Ling Leisure and Cultural Village since 2014.

He said they had urged the authorities to stop tourism activities in the area but their concerns were ignored.

“Now a tragedy has claimed a life, do we still want to wait for the loss of more lives before we act and close the area?

“We urge the area to be returned to the residents because it has been gazetted as a green area under the Ipoh City Local Plan (Replacement) 2035 on Oct 19, 2023, under gazette number 504G,” he said at a media conference, here.

On April 8, Ipoh district police chief Abang Zainal Abidin Abang Ahmad confirmed that a falling rock killed a 44-year-old man from Pulau Pangkor at 11.30am.

The tourism spot was closed pending a full report of the incident.

Meanwhile, a member of the residents’ committee, Muzaffar Razman, said since the area opened for tourism activities, they have been forced to endure traffic congestion which disrupted their peace.

“We have repeatedly expressed our concerns to the relevant authorities, but no action was taken.

“When tragedy struck, the residents were also affected, disrupting our peace. Some even expressed concern that the property value in this residential area will be impacted due to this unresolved issue,” he said, urging MBI to enforce the area’s green status as outlined in the local plan. - FMT