Residents fear for their safety
Malay Mail 9/1/2005 By RIZALMAN HAMMIM

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 9:

Residents of the Taman Gemilang Apartments in Cheras are having sleepless nights worrying about their safety after heavy rain eroded a slope behind them last week.

Taman Gemilang Apartments Residents’ Association chairman Francis Lim said: “The erosion could threaten the only entrance to our building. This is not the first time. Something similar took place in 1999.”

He said nothing was done when they reported the earlier landslide to City Hall.

To make matters worse, a new apartment building is being constructed nearby.

“We objected to the project when construction work began a year ago,” he said.

“However, City Hall approved the project and the developer is cutting the hill slope.

“This, perhaps, is the cause of the erosion.”

Cheras MCA service centre director Lim Kim Seng said they would visit the erosion site with City Hall officials. This is to help the local authority assess the situation.

“We hope City Hall will take precautionary measures to avoid any nasty accident,” he said.

He said residents had asked that a retaining wall be built below the slope and interceptor drains built at the slope.

Francis said the association also called on City Hall to resolve residents’ long-standing certificate of fitness (CF) problem.

“We only have temporary CFs for our apartments, he said.

“City Hall insists that the apartments have two access roads before it issues permanent CFs. This, however, cannot be done because of liquidation of the developer.”

Lim said he would have a meeting with City Hall to resolve the residents’ CF woes.