Ministry targets year-end rollout of revised abandoned vehicle guidelines

KUALA LUMPUR: The Housing and Local Government Ministry is studying the need to improve existing legal provisions to address the issue of abandoned vehicles.

Its minister, Nga Kor Ming, said the joint initiative with the Transport Ministry aims to clarify powers and expedite enforcement and disposal processes while safeguarding the rights of vehicle owners.

The approach, he said, aims to shift the management of abandoned vehicles from a purely enforcement model to a comprehensive solution balancing legal authority, public rights, and owners' social responsibility.

"The ministry, in cooperation with the Transport Ministry, is also improving approaches through the use of various legal instruments that can be considered.

"This includes the Road Transport Act 1987, as well as introducing a more systematic voluntary disposal method to encourage owners to legally dispose of obsolete vehicles.

"The ministry is also improving the Guidelines for the Management of Abandoned Vehicles in Local Authority Operational Areas introduced in 2020.

"This aims to streamline procedures for tracking, removing, storing, and disposing of abandoned vehicles based on available powers under relevant laws, including the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974," he said in a written reply published on the Parliament portal today.

He was responding to a question from Jimmy Puah (PH-Tebrau) on the ministry's plans to draft or amend existing laws to tackle abandoned vehicles nationwide.

Nga said the new guidelines are expected to be implemented by local authorities in the peninsula before the end of this year, while implementation in Sabah and Sarawak will be coordinated with the respective authorities according to applicable legal frameworks.

"The government stresses that the approach to managing abandoned vehicles is not merely issuing guidelines, but involves a comprehensive action framework based on good governance, field evidence, inter-agency coordination, and practical work process improvements for local authorities to implement.

"The government is confident that with the support of all parties, including the Transport Ministry and the police, the issue of abandoned vehicles can be addressed more effectively and holistically," he said.