Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) has put all applications to set up 5G poles in the city on hold.

Its mayor Mohamad Azhan Md Amir said the vendor in charge of the project would need to meet MBPJ to discuss in depth the proposed 5G pole locations.

According to the city council, the vendor, which was appointed by the Federal Government, has so far submitted applications for 66 5G pole sites in Petaling Jaya, with plans to set up 512 poles in total.

However, MBPJ had yet to approve any of the sites.

At its monthly full board meeting yesterday, Mohamad Azhan said the city council would allow all signboards – informing the public on the 5G poles – erected by the vendor before June 17 to remain.

The signboards were put up starting in April in various locations.

However, signboards erected after June 17 must be removed, said the mayor.

“We have to decide on the locations first.

“At the moment there are 66 sites where the signboards have been placed but MBPJ has not finalised the locations yet,” he added.

Petaling Jaya councillor Derek Fernandez said the city council needed a clear framework to determine policies related to 5G poles.

“We need to roll this out in a sustainable manner and weigh in stakeholders input.

“We have received many complaints from residents, area assemblyman and the MP.

“While the 5G service is welcome, there must be proper guidelines.

“It cannot be set up just anywhere without the city council’s approval.

“MBPJ is the first council to put a freeze on such a project until all details are ironed out,” he added.

On another matter, councillor Rahibah Che Omar said MBPJ should have a vision to be an animal-friendly city.

She said a city council-managed dog park should be built for people to walk their pets.

“At the moment, we see dog owners walking their pets on main roads and this poses a safety concern.

“We should also legalise a ruling for pets to be kept in high-rise buildings and urge owners to apply for a licence,” said Rahibah.

This move would help increase MBPJ’s revenue, she noted.

“MBPJ can also introduce microchip tags so that pets can be found in case they go missing.

“I also encourage the city council to work with veterinary clinics to provide incentives to those who spay and neuter their pets.

“Animal centres should be given incentives too for them to sustain their businesses in the long run,” she added.

Besides this, Rahibah suggested that the city council consider providing dog training so that the pets would not become a nuisance to society.

She shared her experience of having witnessed how well-behaved stray dogs in Turkey were.

She said the strays in Turkey were cared for by the community and did not endanger the public.

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