AMPANG JAYA: STILL adjusting to their new living arrangements, residents who have been evacuated after the discovery of numerous cracks at their units in Block F of Taman Keramat Permai flats are taking the wait-and-see approach on suggestions to rebuild the flats.
The incident on Friday, which forced occupants of the 30-year-old five-storey block to evacuate, served as a reminder of the need for upgrading works based on the condition of many residential buildings, some of which are in a sorry state.
But while the government is mulling the “rebuild or repair” idea, most of the affected unit owners and their tenants, who were forced to leave their homes due to the worsening cracks, were more focused on getting by.
Kindergarten teacher Mariani Che Mud, 45, who had lived at the flats for 27 years, said she would wait for the safety report by the authorities and find out the necessary arrangements should the government decide to rebuild the flats.
“As everything is still up in the air, we’d rather wait for details before looking at our options.
“We have been complaining to our residents’ representatives about the cracks for a while, but nothing was done,” she told the New Straits Times as she climbed up to her unit located on the second floor to collect clothes and other items.
She said her mother bought the unit for RM25,000.
Mariani said for now, she would stay with other affected residents at the temporary shelter set up by the authorities.
Housewife Shabnam Shaheen, 37, said she noticed the cracks at her unit had worsened two months ago.
“The cracks grew even bigger two months ago and got worse on Friday. Fearing for our safety, we called bomba (the Fire and Rescue Department), which instructed us to evacuate as it may not be safe to remain there.”
She said she had been renting the unit for five months.
“When we moved in, the condition of the unit was so bad that my husband and I had to spend more than RM5,000 to repair the cracks and leaks on the walls.
“I hope the government will look at providing assistance for us to look for a place nearby, if it is decided that the building is to be rebuilt.”
She said it would be a bleak Hari Raya for the family as they were not sure if they could return home soon due to the severity of the damage.
“We are also concerned about the items and furniture we have to leave behind. As for now, we will have to make do with what we have. Some of the tenants of the building are Indonesians and I don’t know where they can go now. I don’t see them anywhere,” said the mother of three.
Gombak chief assistant district officer Hazlim Hapaz, who is also a representative in the Selangor disaster management unit, said more than 100 residents had been affected by the evacuation.
“However, only 19 families, or 70 occupants, had moved to the temporary shelter at SMK Taman Keramat, while the others opted to look for accommodation on their own.
“They will be moved to the MPAJ (Ampang Jaya Municipal Council) Hall in AU2 later today (yesterday) as the school will be in session tomorrow (today).”
He said Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) had appointed Malaysian Public Works Institute (Ikram) to inspect the building and the results were expected to be revealed tomorrow.
“We will then discuss our next course of action,” he said.
Several Ikram staff members were seen at the site carrying out surveys under the watchful eye of policemen.
Debris from the damaged walls was scattered on the floor, while huge cracks could be seen at different parts of the structure. Due to safety reasons, journalists were not allowed to go beyond the ground floor of the block.
It is learnt that residents were only allowed to enter their units to collect their belongings and they had to leave immediately afterwards.
Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin said the ministry would hold discussions with the Selangor government to determine whether Block F of the Keramat Permai flats could be repaired or needed to be rebuilt.
She said under the National Housing Policy, the government was empowered to rebuild flats older than 30 years to ensure
the safety and comfort of residents.