Defective flats to come down piece by piece
The Star 23/1/2003 By ROSLINA MOHAMAD

Work to demolish 17 blocks of flats in Indera Mahkota here, which had been declared unsafe following the discovery of structural defects, will take about four months.

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob said yesterday that instead of using explosives, the buildings would be ''dismantled and cut piece by piece.''

He said the consultant and contractor involved would meet residents living nearby to explain the project and the safety aspects.

''The flats were built using pre-fabricated materials and the contractor will study the building plan to find the most appropriate way to dismantle and cut the buildings piece by piece,'' Adnan told reporters after chairing a state exco meeting.

''Work will be much easier by applying such method as compared to using explosives, implosion or wrecking balls as it will involve too much noise and dust. ''

He said the project is expected to cost between RM2.5mil and RM2.6mil.

Adnan said the land might be turned into a commercial centre or recreation area.

The five-storey flats comprising 1,360 units and another 566 terrace houses were completed in 1989 at a cost of RM36mil.

In July 1995, some 500 people from 80 families from one of the blocks were evacuated at midnight after a supporting beam on the second floor collapsed.

A subsequent check by the Public Works Department found structural defects in the buildings.