23/10/2009 The Star

THE State Appeals Board has fixed Nov 26 for examination and cross-examination of four witnesses involved in a housing project on a hillslope in Solok Tan Jit Seng that has been issued with a stop work order.

Its board chairman Datuk Abdul Rahim Uda ordered the four witnesses — a JKR engineer, two geo-technical engineers and an architect — to hand in their statements to the Registrar.

Earlier in the hearing, he posed questions to the parties comprising the residents, engineers and developer as the note of proceedings written by former chairman Ho Mooi Cheng was not legible.

Project advisor Steven Ong said “we will be building retaining walls to reduce erosion and also strengthen the slope behind the project.”

Abdul Rahim said the board must be satisfied not only on paper but also on grounds that the development will not cause any hardship and instead enhance the safety of the residents.

Some 150 families including those from Pearl Hill Townhouse Phase I and II and residents from Solok Tan Jit Seng are objecting the proposed development as they fear it could cause landslides and possibly damage their houses.

The project was approved in 2006 and the stop work order was issued in the same year.