DBKL eyes scrap dealers to end Kuala Lumpur’s abandoned car epidemic

DBKL eyes scrap dealers to end Kuala Lumpur’s abandoned car epidemic

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 29 — City Hall (DBKL) is considering outsourcing the removal and disposal of abandoned vehicles to licensed scrap metal dealers in an effort to ease its severely overcrowded depots and free up public parking spaces.

The local authority’s three depots — in Taman Connaught, Salak Selatan, and Pantai Sentral — are already at their combined capacity of 3,700 vehicles, forcing cars to be stacked on top of one another, The Star reported.

DBKL spends millions of ringgit annually towing these vehicles but only recoups about RM300,000 through yearly auctions.

This significant financial loss is compounded by a lengthy legal process that can take more than six months per vehicle.

Legal requirements force DBKL to issue multiple notices, verify ownership with the Road Transport Department (JPJ), and wait months before it can hold its single annual auction of 500 to 1,000 cars.

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Under the proposed outsourcing plan, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok’s aide, Alice Lan, said discussions were underway to allow scrap metal dealers to manage both the towing and the legal disposal process.

Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng supported the idea but urged DBKL to follow clear and transparent disposal systems like those used in Singapore and Japan.

The problem has become a major public nuisance, with authorities receiving 4,510 complaints about abandoned vehicles across the Federal Territories, 80 per cent of which were reported in Kuala Lumpur.

Residents in PPR areas like Kampung Muhibbah and Sri Aman report hundreds of derelict cars occupying parking bays, attracting pests, and being used as makeshift rubbish bins.

The issue extends beyond public housing, with residents reporting that the situation is worsening in commercial districts and even private condominium car parks, while enforcement remains slow and ineffective.

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In addition to outsourcing, authorities are also exploring other measures, such as offering cash incentives for voluntary vehicle disposal and promoting online deregistration through JPJ’s e-Dereg system.