11/07/2008 The Malay Mail By Najiah Najib and Dawn Lee

THERE'S no standard practice on the issuance of Certificate of Fitness for Occupation (CF) for government buildings, Malay Mail checks revealed.

A Town Planning Department officer at the Sungai Petani Municipal Council in Kedah said all government buildings and offices built within its jurisdiction are issued CFs, once approval is obtained from all relevant authorities.

“Checks on a project are done in stages, with the relevant authorities such as Tenaga Nasional Berhad, Fire and Rescue Department and the Public Works Department (among others) ensuring that all guidelines are adhered to,” said the officer, who declined to be named.

Procedures, he added, could differ from one local council to another.

For example, he said, Kuala Lumpur City Hall would not want to issue CFs for government buildings it constructs on the grounds that it "has the necessary experts of its own" to oversee and approve them. City Hall department directors may also possess the tertiary qualifications and experience required.

“For our council, department heads may only be diploma holders. We don’t have the sort of manpower and expertise that city councils may have."

KL City Hall maintains that it does not need CFs for public buildings it constructs.

CFs are also a requirement for government buildings constructed in Kota Baru.

“We issue CFs for all government buildings built in Kota Baru,” said an officer with the Kota Baru Municipal Council's Building and Planning Department.

In Ipoh, however, CFs are only issued for projects that are outsourced to the private sector.

Ipoh City Council Building Department director Mohd Azman Mat Ariff said: “Government buildings need not be issued CFs if the projects are developed by PWD. This is because PWD has the expertise in project assessment."

At the Kuala Selangor District Council, engineer Ahmad Jamzuri Mujari said a Certificate of Completion is sufficient for government buildings. The council conducts a thorough check of every new project before this certificate is issued.

The Housing and Local Government Ministry, he said, would decide whether there is the need for new government buildings to apply for the CF. Regardless of the decision made, all projects would be strictly supervised.

Unlike this situation with government buildings, developers of corporate and commercial buildings must have CFs before their buildings can be occupied or, as the case is since April last year, a Certificate of Completion and Compliance (CCC).

“Developers must have a CF if they want to take out a fire or natural disaster insurance policy for their buildings,” Ahmad Jamzuri said.