More woes for 2,000 buyers

17/04/2000 The Star

Some 2,000 buyers of Taman Cemerlang in Lebuh Thean Teik are left in the lurch as the project has not only been abandoned for three years but the company had been wound up.

Paya Terubong assemblyman Dr Loh Hock Hun said a creditor had filed a suit against Penangan Maju Holdings Sdn Bhd for unpaid debts and the latter was wound up by the court early this year.

"Construction work for the project in Air Itam, comprising two blocks of medium-cost flats and three apartment blocks, started in December 1997 and stopped six months later.

"What's left at the site are just piling work leftovers and an incomplete two-storey building structure," he told newsmen after chairing a meeting to form a buyers' committee yesterday.

He said purchasers, who had paid between RM5,000 and RM10,000 in deposits, feared that that site may have to be auctioned as the problem now is handled by the Official Assignee.

The committee, he said, would meet the Official Assignee and relevant authorities to work out an amicable solution.

Account executive Chang Yeong Shen, 29, said the State Government should look into their plight as it had submitted their names to the developer.

Apart from the buyers, about 30 families whose houses were demolished to make way for the project are now "homeless" as they have been promised a unit each as compensation.

Clerk Koay Eam Kim, 56, said the developer had put up the affected families in various housing schemes by paying the monthly rental.

"The rental stopped when the project stalled in June 1998 and we were forced to pay the rent ourselves," he said, adding that he has to fork out RM480 a month on rental.