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195 in a lurch over homes
06/06/2007 The Star By Charles Fernandez
HUNDRED AND NINETY-FIVE residents from four blocks of the Tunku Abdul Rahman
flats have yet to vacate their premises despite receiving notices from City
Hall to do so.
However, most of the residents of the 11 blocks of flats also known as
Pekeliling flats have moved to the Taman Seri Rampai flats.
The residents, mostly senior citizens, are in Blocks C, G, K and L and they
claimed that they had all been left in a lurch not knowing when their
promised Parcel S flats in Sentul would be ready.
Preferred: Block C Pekeliling Flats residents looking at Block E, which is
their third choice if they are forced to vacate.
City Hall had asked the residents to move temporarily to the Desa Rejang
government flats in Desa Setapak for three years and then shift again when
Parcel S was ready.
“We are only willing to move to Parcel S as promised to us and not
temporarily to the Desa Rejang flats. We will incur unnecessary expenses by
moving twice. Moreover, most of us have a family,’’ said owner Richard Poh,
who is also the Pekeliling Flats relocation co-ordination committee
vice-chairman.
»We should be moving into our Parcel S houses in the middle of this year«
RICHARD POH
Poh said the Parcel S project had been postponed three times after it was
first announced that the houses would be completed in 2004.
“By right, we should be moving into our Parcel S house in the middle of this
year, and earlier in the year they said the new date for the project
completion is 2008. During a dialogue session with City Hall recently, we
were told that there would be a further delay and the only option we have is
to occupy the Setapak flats for three years rent-free,'' he added.
Relocation co-ordination committee secretary Zulkifli Mohd Nor said the
authorities had promised the remaining residents that they could get the
Setapak flats for free if they moved there and buy the Parcel S flats when
they were ready.
He also said all those who had shifted from the Setapak flats were
complaining that the units were too small and not comfortable for a family
of more than four.
“We are not being stubborn. We all want to cooperate with the authorities
but moving to the Setapak flats is not in our list of priorities. The
residents do not mind moving to the Sentul Melor flats or Block E flats
temporarily before shifting to Parcel S,'' he said.
On Monday, the residents made this point clear with City Hall's deputy
secretary-general (development) Datuk Bakarudin Othman during a dialogue
session with him held at City Hall's Enforcement Unit premises at Jalan Tun
Razak.
Nor added that the remaining residents of Block L (6), Block K (10), Block C
(116) and Block G (65), were earlier given until July to vacate their
premises.
“We hope there would be some good news after the dialogue session on
Monday,'' Zulkifli said.
Some of the blocks have since been torn down and the area where the
remaining blocks stand would eventually be pulled down to make way for a
redevelopment project called Tamansari Riverside Garden City to be
undertaken by ASIE Sdn Bhd.
The redevelopment of the area is part of the Government's urban renewal
efforts to provide residents better housing and living conditions. |
