Govt to amend Act 333 to deal with abandoned vehicles in strata housing

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 28): The government is proposing to amend the Road Transport Act 1987 (Act 333) to expand the scope of enforcement areas of local authorities to manage the issue of abandoned vehicles in strata housing areas.

Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government Datuk Aiman ​​Athirah Sabu (pictured) said the proposed amendment was made since local authorities do not have the power to take action in private strata areas unless there is an official application or cooperation from the Joint Management Body (JMB) and the Management Corporation (MC).

She said the improvements are being finalised through a comprehensive engagement process with the Ministry of Transport, Road Transport Department (JPJ), Royal Malaysian Police, Department of Environment, state governments and local authorities.

“We are looking at the proposed amendment to certain provisions in Act 333 to expand the enforcement powers to all categories of local authorities, and the scope of areas that can be enforced.

“JMB and MC are fully subject to the Strata Management Act 2013 and the Strata Management (Management and Maintenance) Regulations 2015. They have full authority and legal responsibility to manage and regulate jointly owned areas including vehicle issues,” she said during a question and answer session at Dewan Rakyat on Thursday.

She was replying to a question by Azli Yusof (PH-Shah Alam), who wanted to know the ministry’s steps to enact by-laws to enable local authorities to take action on abandoned vehicles in strata residential areas.

Apart from the proposed amendment to the Act, Aiman ​​Athirah said other steps included the use of Section 65 of Act 333 as an additional instrument to enable the disposal of vehicles without going through the court, as disposal previously had to go through the lengthy court process.

“In addition, the creation of a voluntary vehicle disposal mechanism through the e-Dereg system developed by JPJ in March 2025 allows owners to dispose of their old vehicles as a faster and more user-friendly alternative,” she said.

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