KAJANG: Due to their failure to pay rent, a couple in Kajang has been kicked out of their rented flat and living in their Proton Perdana for the past two weeks.
The couple's car, surrounded by their belongings, which has become their makeshift home has raised concerns among residents, as the vehicle is now covered in old plastic bags and cardboard.
Living next to the dumpster area, where their only companions are the many stray cats, pigeons and chickens, the couple are said to conduct all their daily activities in the open. The couple have no children.
They cooked, washed and slept in the car, which is no longer in working condition. Everywhere, bags of belongings, boxes and personal items are left strewn all over the floor.
This in turn, has created a safety hazard for both the couple and the residents living here.
A scrap collector, Ana Aziz, 33, said she tried to help the family in her own way but felt that something needed to be done to clear away some of the personal belongings.
A quick check revealed that the couple had placed their belongings in the five-foot walkway and in the staircase area. And this poses a risk to the residents.
"As a resident, I sympathise with their condition. This is not a place for someone to live. But their personal items have been accumulating and they sometimes block people's way. It's dangerous for the senior citizens and even children," she said, when met earlier.
Ana said she tried to contact the lady a few times today, hoping she would changed her mind, but was turned down.
"We are at our wits end. We don't know how else to help," she added.
Another resident, Siti Ramlah, 47, who is in-charge of the managing the block's cleanliness said she was concerned that the piling belongings would attract snakes and other pests.
"How long do we need to put up with it? It's a nuisance and it's very unhygienic. Apart from the personal items, you see unfinished meals being left in the open and that attracts pests," she said.
Another resident, who wished to be known as Alam, 48, who works as one of the maintenance personnel here, said that he had received numerous complaints from other residents about the couple's unruly behaviour.
"Most of us have no problem with them staying anywhere in or near the flat, but the problem is, they left their things lying around and it has become an eyesore," he said.
Alam said he had known the couple for a few years. He described the couple as quiet. "Most of the time they just keep to themselves. They never disturb anyone," he added.
S. Jeevanatham, 63, who is a member of the flat's resident committee, said help had been extended to the couple, including by the local welfare department numerous times.
"We've reached out to the welfare department through a representative from the ADUN Kajang office. He promised to look into the matter," said Jeevanatham.
"I don't want to escalate the matter any further and my only wish is to be able to help them find a new home or in any way possible," he said.
New Straits Times paid a visit to the site but was turned away by the woman, who went missing soon after. Some of the residents had tried to call her but she had requested not be disturbed.
The woman, who declined to speak to the NST despite numerous calls to her, had been in contact with a few of the residents here.
A number of WhatsApp messages sent to her by this writer were left unanswered.
A quick check at the unit where they had previously stayed in was padlocked with a shiny new lock.
This is not the first time the couple was evicted from their flat in Taman Bukit Kenangan, Kajang
The NST learnt that they had previously stayed in another block but was kicked out of their rented home for falling behind rent.
It was also learnt that the man was caught by police for a drug offence yesterday.