SEREMBAN: All eleven resorts at Pantai Hills Resort in Jalan Jelebu, near here, which have been operating for the past 10 years, have yet to get approval from the Nilai Municipal Council (MPN).
State Urban Wellbeing, Housing, Local Government and New Village Committee chairman, Teo Kok Seong said this was because most of the resorts had failed to comply with the conditions and regulations set by the council.
“Among the offences committed were constructing buildings without permission on agricultural land for commercial purposes. Besides, the location of the buildings on hillslopes poses a safety risk to visitors including foreign tourists.
“The use of agricultural land for commercial purposes and water usage from the hill are against the conditions and regulations set by the council,” he told reporters after visiting Pantai Hills Resort today.
The state government recently set up a committee, headed by Teo, to investigate and act on the resorts that have been operating without a valid licence.
Teo said so far, four resort owners had been slapped with the breach of conditions notice under Section 125 of the National Land Code, adding that the action was not aimed at troubling them but mainly for enforcement and ‘whitening’ to ensure the safety of visitors.
“We are also in the midst of identifying 44 land owners involving 36.98ha at the resort, which has scores of luxurious chalets rented out at RM800 to over RM1,000 per night.
“We’re informed that the resort has been completed and been operating without approval. However, the state government is not asking the operators to demolish their buildings or to relocate as they have invested millions of ringgit, while the resort (Pantai Hills Resort) is also a tourism product of the state.
“We want to help them, so we will hold a dialogue session with all the resort owners this Thursday to find a solution. This reflects the state government’s sincerity to address the issue,” he said.
On the technical aspect, Teo also advised the resort owners to appoint an architect and engineer to submit a layout plan of their resort to MPN’s Building Control Department. — Bernama
