Developer to rebuild damaged houses
01/02/2008 The Star By Geetha Krishnan

A 12-year wait has finally come to an end for several homeowners in Kajang.

Four of the badly damaged houses in Taman Bukit Mewah Phase 1, highlighted by StarMetro on Jan 21, will be torn down and rebuilt by the developer for the housing area.

Kajang Municipal Council president Datuk Hasan Nawawi Abdul Rahman said the developer agreed to rebuild the houses following a directive from the Selangor state executive council.

“The developer will also carry out repairs on other houses requiring immediate action. In doing so, the company is fulfilling its social responsibility to the homeowners,” he said after chairing the full board meeting on Thursday.

The affected houses in Phase 1 were built in 1990 and homeowners started noticing cracks in the structure months later. The cracks eventually widened and caused more damage, prompting residents to alert the developer and the authorities.

Public Works Institute of Malaysia consultants conducted checks and later declared seven of the houses as being unsafe. Residents were forced to move out and live elsewhere.

They formed an action committee and have been pushing for results through meetings with the respective parties.