Landslide-hit residents 'homeless'

06/06/2006 The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: The May 31 landslide that took four lives in Kampung Pasir has left 141 affected villagers and a group of residents from nearby Taman Zooview clueless as to where to find permanent shelter now.

The villagers, who were temporarily housed at a surau after the incident, were told by the local village committee to leave the place by 4.30pm yesterday.

Marwazi Sareh, 47, said they were now in a dilemma.

“We asked to extend our stay at the surau or be placed at a temporary shelter elsewhere but there was no reply from the authorities,” he said.

The 14 affected families from Taman Zooview, who have been living in their temporary quarters at the Flamingo Hotel in Ampang, will also be “homeless” after tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the Federal Territories Ministry will set up a committee to review all hill slope development in the wake of recent landslide incidents.

Deputy Minister Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop said the committee, comprising experts from the Public Works Department, Geo-Science department, Ikram (Public Works Institute) and other authorities, would look at all building plans submitted to City Hall this year.

The local authority and ministry were also preparing an initial report on the Bukit Mas Melawati apartment project on a hillslope near Taman Melawati, not far from Kampung Pasir.

On Sunday, Federal Territories Minister Datuk Zulhasnan Rafique instructed mayor Datuk Ruslin Hasan to prepare a report after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi urged the authorities to re-look approvals for the project.

Ruslin said when the project, consisting of several blocks of apartments, was approved in 1990, guidelines on prohibiting development on slopes that had a gradient of more than 35 degrees had yet to be introduced by the Cabinet.