PENAMPANG: Residents of Kapayan Ridge Flat off Jalan Queen Elizabeth Hospital are literary living on a precipice with one of its block tilting on one side and cracks appearing on other parts of the building.
Coordinator of Social Democratic Harmony Party (PKDM) for Kapayan Dr Edwin Bosi said Blok D2 of Kapayan Ridge flat is simply unsafe for occupation.
“I also noticed there were many cracks on the building’s structural foundation where iron rods were exposed. Tenants informed me that their friends feel “dizzy” as if they were in motion whenever they come to visit them.
“I inspected the building concerned recently and was met by one of the residents, Puan Justina, that the person in charge of this flat has not done anything to rectify the problem,” he said to Daily Express.
According to him prior to the inspection, Justina told him that she wrote to the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) to complain about damages on the building structure and requested that the authority rectify the problem.
Bomba officials, she said, subsequently inspected the building and advised Justina to contact both the City Hall (DBKK) and Public Works Department (PWD) for their evaluation.
“According to Justina, the owner of one of the units who has been living there since 2007, the flat was probably one of earliest government project aimed at providing housing for the people in the mid-1980s.
“While ownership to the units eventually is transferred to the tenants, the property remains under the jurisdiction of the government,” he said while urging the three agencies name Bomba, PWD and DBKK to look into the acute problem seriously before a tragic accident occur.
Dr Bosi said that under the existing bylaws, all buildings must be inspected for its safety and fitness on a regular basis adding that problems besetting the flat can be addressed at its infancy to prevent an accident.
He said that Blok D2 was badly affected by previous piling works on the foundation of a shopping mall nearby located some 100 meters from it. Blok D2, it was learnt, is a two-storey building comprising 21 units. Many owners over the years have subsequently rented out their units.
To this end, Dr Bosi said what the tenants at Blok D2 are facing is a very critical issue.
“We are dealing with human lives here. That is why I am urging the three agencies concerned, Bomba, PWD and DBKK to act before decisively now before an incident occurs,” he said.
He suggested that the government relocate the tenants to another government-built flats or peoples housing scheme.
Further, he said the government can purchase back the units so owners can opt to buy their own house.
