It's an 8am to 6pm job at construction sites
Even though this is good for the economy, the actions of some irresponsible developers have caused much suffering to neighbouring residents in terms of noise, pollution and loss of quality of life.



Residents who live near the construction site of a particular project suffered from the noise of piling works and other works which were conducted from early in the morning to 11.30pm, and this takes place even on Sundays and public holidays.



When the matter was brought up to City Hall's enforcement officers, all sorts of reasons were given as to why they could not stop the contractors from operating after a certain hour.



The reasons included lack of manpower and shortage of vehicles. One of the officers even pointed that most families only go to sleep after 10pm, so what was there to complain about!



Only after a formal letter was sent to your office was the complaint treated seriously and the sub-structure contractor was told to stop work after office hours.



Now that the sub-structure has been completed, another contractor will take over the site and we fear that the problem will start all over again.



What are the working hours for those at construction sites in residential areas and how does City Hall ensure that these contractors abide by the rules and regulations?



Datuk Ahmad Fuad Ismail: People and buildings have long coexisted and their interdependency is so intimate that it is almost unthinkable that one can exist without the other.



The correlation is direct where an increase in population simply translates into more buildings for hospitals, schools, homes and places of worship.



However, the harmony of this coexistence can be disrupted when one fails to respect the other.



While many developers in Kuala Lumpur adhere to the construction rules, some do break them.



Our policy states that work at construction sites starts at 8am and ends at 6pm, Monday to Saturday. No work is to be carried out on Sundays and public holidays.



However, developers may request for permission to work past the stipulated time.



The conditions for approval by the technical committee of the Urban Design and Building Department include the support of residents around the construction site, safety and technical considerations, cleanliness and noise hazards, location of the site and the nature of work.



Stop-work order, sealing of work sites and compounds are some of the measures used when dealing with errant developers.



At City Hall, we always hope that we do not have to use any of these enforcement measures, for our belief is that people and developers are inextricably linked to the effort of building a great city.