Make geological reports mandatory, say housebuyers

31/01/2001 The Star By Clarence Chua

PETALING JAYA: The House buyers Association (HBA) has called on the Government to make mandatory for developers to furnish a geological report to the authorities before housing projects are approved.

Commenting on the 14 sinking double-storey houses in Bandar Pengkalan Indah, Ipoh, HBA chairman Datuk Zainuddin Bachik said that at present developers only needed to get their building plans approved by the local authorities before commencing construction.

He said there was a need to carry out geological studies and soil tests to determine the suitability of a site.

"Cases like Bandar Pengkalan Indah have happened too many times before, Zainuddin said.

He cited the examples of Highland Towers and Bukit Antarabangsa.

"Developers should be wary of such problems whenever they choose sites which are former mining land or near hillsides to launch their projects," he added.

Zainuddin said the HBA welcomed the promise by the developer's consultant engineer to give residents in writing a "whole life guarantee" on the habitable quality of the houses when repairs were completed.

Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (FOMCA) president Prof Hamdan Adnan said all parties, from the developers and architects tot he contractors, should be held responsible in the case of Bandar Pengkalan Indah.

He said taking into consideration the bank loans and lawyer fees which were paid, the housebuyers should be given an option to obtain a refund with interest.