Home Ministry receives the
most complaints 01/05/1997 NST-LTIMES
ABUSE of power, maladministration and delays in carrying duties are common
grouses received by the Public Complaints Bureau (PCB). Describing such complaints
as "serious in nature", PCB notes in its 1995 annual report that majority
of them were against the Home and Finance Ministries and the Prime Minister's
Department. (See chart).
Govt approved 1,185 strata
title applications since Sept 03/05/1997 BT
THE Government has received 2,249 strata title applications, involving 115,806
parcels or lots, as of last September. Deputy Land and Cooperative Development
Minister Dr Goh Cheng Teik said 1,185 of these applications, involving 78,434
parcels, have been approved.
Safety first
06/05/1997 MM
VIBRATIONS were believed to have triggered specially-installed sensors at
Bangunan Shell Malaysia, Damansara Heights, that led the building management
to order the evacuation of its occupants yesterday. They were immediately
moved out to nearby Wisma Socfin when the alarm linked the sensors went off
at 3.58 pm.
Ministry says temporary CFs
may be scrapped 08/05/1997 BT
THE Housing and Local Government Ministry is seriously studying the possibility
of abolishing the issuance of temporary certificates of fitness (CF), its
Minister Datuk Dr Ting Chew Peh said. "The Ministry will recommend administratively
that local authorities in future do not need to issue the temporary CF but
wait for developers to fulfil all the conditions and then apply for the permanent
CF," Ting told reporters in Kuala Lumpur yesterday after attending the weekly
Cabinet meeting.
Inspection of buildings may
be privatised 11/05/1997 NSUNT
SEGAMAT, Sat. - The Ministry of Housing and Local Government is considering
privatising the inspection of buildings to ensure their safety, its Minister
Datuk Dr Ting Chew Peh said today. He said this was because the Fire Services
and Rescue Department, which was handling the task now, was unable to spare
its personnel.
Owners set up association to
press for CFs 12/05/1997 NST
KUALA LUMPUR, Sun. - Owners of the ill-fated Venice Hill Condominiums of Batu
Sembilan, Cheras, today resolved to form a residents' association which would
give them a stronger voice in pressing for the issuance of certificates of
fitness for their units. Secretary of the pro-tem committee Annamalai Arnasalam
said with the setting up of an association, their grievances would be taken
more seriously by the various parties involved in the matter.
New ruling on housing projects
15/05/1997 BT
KEDAH now requires developers to build low-cost and medium-cost homes simultaneously
to ensure they do not concentrate only on projects for the latter, a state
executive councillor said. State Housing and Local Government Committee chairman
Datuk Abdullah Hasnan Kamaruddin said this was decided at Tuesday's meeting
of the State Housing Permanent Committee in Langkawi.
Safeguard house
buyers MB 16/05/1997 By Tan Seok Hua
I READ your recent editorial entitled Two-Tier Way To Weed Out Bad Hats (MB,
March 16 issue) with great interest. The two-tier system for property developers
is still in the planning stages and the ministry is inviting suggestions for
the system. Before going too far in the planning, the objectives of such a
system must be clearly defined. There should be no conflicting objectives
and the ministry must identify the group - house buyers, developers or financial
institutions - that should benefit most from the system.
Builders not free to raise
price of low-cost homes 17/05/1997 NST
TELUK INTAN, Fri. - Developers will not be given a "free hand" to increase
the prices of low-cost houses above RM25,000 even if the Government approves
the increase in the ceiling price for the units. Deputy Minister Datuk Tajol
Rosli Ghazali said the Government had to consider many factors including rising
land costs when making such approval.
Assessment rates
are null and void MM 19/05/1997
THE Petaling Jaya Municipal Council may charge property owners in Bandar Utama
maintenance fees in lieu of assessment rates. Its president, Datuk Mohamed
Nor Bador, said about 500 residents are affected.
House buyers
have the right to be protected BT 27/05/1997
HOUSE purchasers have the right to be protected as they would be living with
the final product of construction, a property consultant said. Rahim and Co
Research Sdn Bhd managing director Dr Aloysius Marbeck pointed out that although
unit purchasers do not have a contractual relationship with all parties in
the construction process, their right has to be protected.
Professionals must ensure quality
28/05/1997 NST
THE problem of poor workmanship, resulting in defects in houses, is not new.
Rather it is a perennial headache for the authorities who have to listen to
complaints from house-buyers. The issue is all the more heart-rendering as
the sad tales of leaking roofs, poor plastering, shoddy wiring and cracks
in walls often come from buyers of low and low-medium cost units who could
ill-afford the costs of repairs.
Developer has to explain how
water treatment plant sank 29/05/1997 MM
THE Subang Jaya Municipal Council has directed the developer of a project
in Puchong to explain how a water treatment plant it built on the project
site had sunk. The council issued the directive to the developer of Puchong
Permai, Idaman Tegas Sdn Bhd, after Serdang Member of Parliament Datuk Yap
Pian Hon and several local residents expressed doubts over the explanation
by the company.
Check all sewage treatment
plants, IWK told 29/05/1997 NST
TAIPING, Wed. - The Federation of Malaysian Consumer Associations today urged
Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd to conduct nationwide checks on all sewage
treatment plants it took over from local councils. Its secretary-general N.
Marimuthu said this was to prevent incidents like the collapse of the sewage
treatment plant's reinforced concrete wall in Jalan Kamunting on Monday.
Koh: Mall builders must submit
RM2.3mil bond 31/05/1997 NST
PENANG, Fri. - Developers of the RM200 million Prangin Mall project in Georgetown
have been asked to submit a RM2.3 million performance guarantee bond to the
local authorities for the permanent repair of affected houses in the surrounding
project area. Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon said today a decision
on whether to lift the existing stop-work order placed on the controversial
project would only be considered once the bond was handed to the Penang Island
Municipal Council next week.
