Selangor government won't stop housing projects on hillsides
The Star 31/01/2001 By S.Vinothaa

THE Selangor Government will not stop hillside development because of the shortage of houses.

Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo said the state government while allowing such development would not compromise on safety and quality.

He said local authorities had to practise strict control of such developments and ensure that the methods of construction were in accordance with their guidelines.

''If we strictly enforce the rules and if developers abide by them, there should be no problem with the safety of the houses,'' he told reporters after attending the Paralympic Sportsman of the Year awards ceremony at the Armada Hotel in Petaling Jaya on Tuesday.

Dr Khir said developers whose projects were on hillslopes should ensure that the houses they built were safe for occupation not only for the first few years.

He said he had instructed all local authorities in Selangor to furnish him with reports on all existing hillside development projects in their respective areas, within a month.

''I want to know if other similar projects are safe, especially those built on steep slopes.

''We have to check all these projects and take pro-active measures if necessary,'' he said.

He also referred to the incident in Rawang Perdana where a boulder crashed into a house last Friday.

He said developers were finding it hard to sell properties, in areas like Klang and townships close to it as most housebuyers were looking for houses closer to the city.

''They want to live in 'central' areas closer to the city like in Petaling Jaya,'' said Dr Khir.

Asked on the next course of action for Rawang Perdana residents, Dr Khir said that it was a matter to be discussed between the houseowners and the developer.

He said that the choice of buying any property was in the hands of the buyers.

He advised prospective house buyers to make it a point to visit the development site and to check out the area before making a decision to buy