Repairs on flats to take six months
The Star 17/10/2006

KUALA LUMPUR: It will take six months for repairs to be carried out at the four low-cost flats in Section 10, Wangsa Maju, damaged by a landslide last Monday, Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said.

The repairs include carrying out underpinning works to strengthen the building’s foundation, “to jack” the buildings to enable the repairs to be carried out, as well as shift piling to avoid further landslides.

The damaged road near the buildings would also be repaired, he said.

The developer, Lebuhraya Bertol Duta Ulu Klang, would carry out the repairs.

The flats would not be occupied during that period, Samy Vellu told reporters after visiting the area.

He reminded the residents not to return to the flats for their own safety.

On the cost, he said his ministry would discuss with the developer after the work was completed.

Samy Vellu said he had directed the developer to speed up the construction of the monsoon drain and the highway near the area to enable the earthwork to start as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, the investigation by the Public Works Institute of Malaysia (Ikram) is expected to be completed in two-and-a-half months, he said.

Other agencies such as the Malaysian Highway Authority, Remote Sensing Centre, Meteorology Department, Drainage and Irrigation Department, and Kuala Lumpur City Hall were compiling the information to determine how the landslide occurred.

Samy Vellu said the loss due to the landslide was being investigated and the Government would determine whether any compensation would be paid. – Bernama