Selangor to introduce guidelines on rebuilding old buildings

KUALA LUMPUR (April 29): The Selangor authorities will soon draft new guidelines on rebuilding landed and multi-level properties, said state Housing and Urban Living Committee chairman Haniza Mohd Talha (pictured) yesterday.

She told the New Straits Times (NST) that the guidelines were “expected to be introduced within the next few months”.

Haniza was speaking to the daily in light of the incident when 222 residents of 40 units in Block F of Pangsapuri Taman Keramat Permai in Kuala Lumpur had to be evacuated owing to the discovery of huge cracks in the building and the Housing and Local Government Ministry’s (KPKT) offer to work with state governments on the re-development of old housing, especially flats which are more than 30 years old.

“The state government has a list and is monitoring the condition of low- and medium-cost flats that are 30 years and older,” she said.

“Every year, the state government receives applications to conduct repair work involving roofs, lifts and sewerage,” she added.

Meanwhile, National House Buyers Association secretary-general Datuk Chang Kim Loong told the NST that the cracks found in Block F of Pangsapuri Taman Keramat Permai “warranted a renewed call for action in housing issues in the country”.

Chang also told the daily that he was “puzzled as to why such problems had occurred when there has already been a policy in place to empower the Housing and Local Government Ministry to repair and rebuild flats that were 30 years and above”.

“Has such power been invoked before and why is the ministry contemplating to do so now?” he asked.

Chang also wanted the KPKT to “explain the circumstances that warranted the government to rebuild the flats”.