Flat dwellers living in misery

30/11/2007 The Star Story and photo by GEETHA KRISHNAN

THEIR experience can almost be described like the proverbial “from the frying pan into the fire”.

For the former squatters who had been resettled into the Taman Tasik Sungei Chua low-cost flats, the joy of moving into the new homes a few months ago was a short-lived one.

Dangerous: Loh (third from right) and residents showing the exposed cable from the circuit board in the building

Compared to their former stockaded squatter houses, the flats they now call home are indurate with all sorts of problems that make living a misery. There are leaking water pipes, uncollected rubbish, haphazardly parked motorcycles and, horror of horrors, thugs on the prowl in the area.

The unhappy residents raised these problems during a recent dialogue session with Hulu Langat MCA Youth chief Loh Chew June.

According to resident Siew Lai Kiew, 65, rubbish is not thrown in the bins provided but simply dumped in the lifts and along the corridors, attracting ants, flies, cockroaches and even rats.

She said that the irregular rubbish collection by the maintenance company compounded the problem and had resulted in a foul stench within the flats.

Chi Lai Yuen, 38, complained that some of the flat residents stayed up the whole night, making a lot of noises, making sleep difficult for their neighbours.

She said some also returned home drunk and, at times, fighting among themselves, causing the other residents to live in fear.

The residents also said the hall was kept locked and was only used by the management for private functions.

A few motorcycles, according to Choo Wai Kiong, 40, had been stolen from the flats while a car was set on fire by a group of individuals thought to be gangsters.

Choo also claimed that some thugs had threatened to harm his wife and child.

A resident whose motorcycle was stolen declined to talk to the media because he feared for his safety.

Loh advised the residents to form a residents association to look into their own welfare and to take up their problems with the management.

He also told them to be equally responsible for the general cleanliness of the flats and not to throw rubbish everywhere.

“Please appoint a floor leader so that residents from all the 10 floors are represented. The leaders can then meet with the management to resolve issues,” he said.

Loh also spoke to a representative of the management who claimed residents owed the company more than RM10,000 in fees.

On rubbish collection, the representative said it was only done once a week.

Regarding the haphazard parking of motorcycles, Loh requested that parking bays be drawn to establish orderliness.