DBKL Now Says Wheel-Clamping Will Continue Despite Mayor's Orders
DBKL will work with private operators on clamping operations from 1 November onwards.
By Andrea Tang — 30 Oct 2018, 03:06 PM
Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has confirmed that they will continue wheel-clamping operations with the help of private operators from 1 November onwards
It was previously reported that Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan had issued a directive to suspend wheel-clamping operations in KL indefinitely
Despite the mayor's directive, Federal Territories Minister Khalid Abd Samad added that this was to avoid any conflicts between authorities and the public who think such actions were just a way for DBKL to make money.
The legal department of DBKL will be reviewing their contract with contractor Vista Summerose and studying the legality of the action
"The clamping of wheels is not a commercial activity but is for the convenience of city folks," the Federal Territories Minister said, Malay Mail reported.
He added that Vista Summerose were "too aggressive and unreasonable" when asked why DBKL was taking over operations, mentioning that they had a KPI of 1,000 cars to clamp a day.
"Sometimes people park for just a few minutes, and they will clamp the car. There were complaints that people had to wait more than one hour to get their cars released," The Star quoted him saying.
Standard operating procedure (SOP) will be coordinated with potential private operators so that the clamping will be done in a responsible and transparent manner
“While I agree that clamping is effective to curb congestion, the way Vista Summerose were doing it was wrong,’’ Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng said, adding that parking should never be privatised in the first place.
"We will give them a maximum of 15 minutes before we take action."
The Mayor confirms 15 minutes is the grace period to allow people who have illegally parked their cars to not be compounded or clamped.
However, Vista Summerose managing director Datuk Nik Haidi Nik Mohamad rebuts DBKL's reasons
"We were accused for being a crony company to the previous government, but the truth is we have been in the parking business since the 1980s during the late Tan Sri Elyas Omar’s (KL's third mayor) time and have worked in 34 cities nationwide," he told The Star, adding that the company followed the SOP prepared, issued and was approved by DBKL.