Evacuated Taman Zooview residents seek redress
New Straits Times 5/6/2006

KUALA LUMPUR: The backyard of Nur Huda Jamal’s house, once a riot of flowering plants, is now buried in mud.

Nur Huda, 40, an assistant communications manager, and her husband, Sharani Ahmad, occupied one of the 16 three-storey terrace houses in Taman Zooview affected by last Wednesday’s landslide.

That landslide claimed four lives and destroyed three longhouses in Kampung Pasir, Bukit Zooview.

Nur Huda said the landslide occurred in a wooded area which was the habitat of silver-tailed monkeys.

Occupants of the 16 houses, perched atop a hill, were served evacuation notices by the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) on Saturday.

"We moved out of the house on Wednesday night. We are now staying at a hotel," said Nur Huda yesterday morning as she and her husband returned to their house to take some belongings.

"However, the MPAJ only offered to let us stay at the hotel for seven days, so we will soon have to find another place to stay."

It is not known how many people have taken up the MPAJ’s offer to stay at the Flamingo Hotel.

A check by the New Straits Times at Taman Zooview found the 16 houses on Lorong Timur empty.

It is understood that most of the residents moved out when the landslide occurred.

In the notices, MPAJ said initial investigations had found that the houses were in danger of collapse due to unstable soil.

In last Wednesday’s incident, a retaining wall built on a hill slope by the developer of Taman Ukay Bestari collapsed at 4.45pm, bringing down tonnes of mud on three longhouses.

Besides the four deaths, more than 160 people were left homeless.

A lawyer acting for the owner of one of the 16 houses in Taman Zooview, said some residents were contemplating legal action against MPAJ and the developer of the Ukay Bistari project.

"We will meet MPAJ and the developer soon to see what compensation they are willing to offer the owners," said the lawyer, who declined to be identified.

"We will give them seven days to respond, and if the response is unsatisfactory, we will initiate legal action."