Residents move out

05/06/2006 The Sun

KUALA LUMPUR: Most of the residents of the 15 houses on Lorong Timur in Taman Zooview, Hulu Klang, on the border of the site of last week's landslide in Kg Pasir Tambahan, have moved out.

They moved out after the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) issued notices advising them to vacate their premises because of the unstable soil conditions. The notices were pasted at the front entrances of their homes.

The letters, some which were served on Saturday night also stated that if the residents chose to stay, it would be at their own risk.

The notice, dated on Saturday, was signed by the MPAJ building and design departments architect Yazid Sarkom.

Some residents have been moved to Flamingo Hotel in Ampang. The council will pick up the tab for this. They have until Thursday to find alternative accommodation.

MPAJ has also provided lorries for the residents to transport their belongings to a storage area in Ukay 5 or to homes of their relatives or friends.

When theSun visited the site yesterday, most of the houses were locked up except for a few residents who returned to pick up some more items.

Huda Abdul Jamal, 40, a corporate communications assistant manager who was a tenant in one of the houses for the past two years, said: "Although it is not my house, I'm sad as this was a very nice place to live in.

"I should have guessed that something was-wrong when my lime tree planted at the edge of my garden collapsed earlier this year," she added, pointing to her garden which is now a pile of rubble covered with a protective sheet, save for a strong-rooted palm tree.

Huda and her husband, who have moved their items to the homes of their relatives, are staying temporarily at Flamingo Hotel.

Other residents also expressed disappointment at some statements made by some officials who have not visited Lorong Timur themselves.

The houses worth more than RM300,000 (before the incident) along Jalan Timur were built in 1974. The residents started having problems three years ago when the forested hill slopes behind their homes were cleared to make way for a housing project.

They claimed that blasting works also aggravated the situation many complaints have been lodged with the council, the latest was apparently five days before the landslip occurred.