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One pain
after another for Flora Damansara residents
01/06/2009 NST By Nuradzimmah Daimstreets@nstp.com.my
PETALING JAYA: Imagine having to trudge up 25 floors just to get to your
condominium unit.
That was the rude shock faced by many residents of Block H Flora Damansara
when they returned home from work yesterday.
The electricity supply to the common areas was cut by Tenaga Nasional in
the afternoon following the building management's failure to pay
accumulated arrears amounting to some RM700,000.
Kevin Bartholomay, 41, who is staying on the 24th floor, said he found out
that the electricity supply was cut since 1pm.
"I came home from work and there was still no electricity supply. There
were notices near our lifts from the management saying that there were
arrears of about RM700,000 owing to Tenaga Nasional and of that, RM97,000
is from our block.
"I don't know how I'm going to climb up the stairs to my unit."
This is not the first time Flora Damansara had faced problems because of
the management's failure to settle the utility bills.
It was reported in March that water cuts were imposed after the
management, Allied Group Properties, failed to settle arrears amounting to
more than RM400,000.
The company was later replaced with another company which is now in charge
of maintenance for the apartments.
However, last week there was another water cut but supply was reconnected
after the management paid part of the payment.
Yesterday's power cut affected the common areas in Block H including the
lifts and lights at the corridors and staircase.
Another resident Amir Johari, 44, said it was not fair to penalise the
residents for the management's failure to settle the electricity bill.
"The management's notice stated that we need to settle the bill. But we
pay our electricity bill for our respective units directly to Tenaga
Nasional and the water bill and maintenance fees at the management's
office, so we shouldn't be facing this predicament.
"We had just experienced a water cut last week for the RM435,000 arrears
owed to Syabas, but supply was reconnected after the management paid
RM133,000.
"We later found out that the developer had loaned the money to the
management to settle the bill but the condominium's Joint Management Body,
which was formed in October last year, has to recover the amount from the
defaulters.
"Now, it is the electricity supply which has been cut. This has never
happened before. Out of the six blocks here, ours is the only one to be
affected but I'm afraid it may also happen to the other blocks soon."
Upset residents later gathered in front of the block's lifts to protest
the power cut and voiced their grouses to Subang member of parliament R.
Sivarasa's private secretary Peter Chong who was present.
"We had already contacted TNB and we hope they will reconnect the
electricity supply first while the developer GM Saujana Triangle holds a
meeting with the JMB tomorrow (today) to find ways to settle the arrears,"
Chong said.
A spokesman for the developer told Streets that the meeting would focus on
finding solutions to avoid such problems in future.
"However, we can't settle the bill this time.
"Electricity bill for common areas is included in the maintenance fees, so
we will work with the JMB to find ways to recover the outstanding amount
so that this will not happen again," he said.
At press time, electricity supply to the common areas was yet to be
restored.
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