Exco to obtain CF for Ukay Bistari’s completed blocks

The Selangor state housing, building management and squatter affairs committee will engage the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) to obtain sectional certificates of fitness (CF) for Ukay Bistari blocks scheduled to be completed next month.

The committee chairman Iskandar Samad said blocks A, D and E of the revived housing project have reached 85 to 95 percent of completion as of November and will be ready by December.

He said block A, which comprises of 196 residential units and 15 shoplots, is currently denied CF due to the lack of access road connecting to the building.

“We will talk to MPAJ to see how we can obtain CF for the block without compromising the buyers’ safety,” he told reporters during a site-visit yesterday.

Iskandar said the three blocks are most likely to be handed over to buyers early next year.

“In fact the three blocks are only left with the external electrical, architectural, firefighting, and piping works, internally they are all ready,” he said.

On the other hand, it is expected that blocks B, C and F will be completed by February, April and July next year respectively.

Meanwhile, the buyers of 60 medium-cost units and 120 medium-low cost units will be getting refunds as the sales and purchase agreement has been terminated.

On allegations that certain contractors have ceased constructions due to inadequate cash flow, he said contractors and sub-contractors’ accord are varied between one to another.

“Some sub-contractors initially agreed to be paid with units, not cash. But when they were bind with cash shortage to pay their workers, they required for a change,” he said.

“However, most of these issues have been sorted out,” he said, adding that his committee’s role is to monitor and facilitate the project.

Ukay Bistari Home Owners (PHUKB) chairman Dr Mohamed Rafick Khan Abdul Rahman, meanwhile, urged the State government to resolve the construction of a water tank should they want to issue CF.

“The big water tank hasn’t been built even though the low-cost flats residents have moved in early this year. As a result they are suffering from a very low water pressure,” he said.

He called on the authority to force the developer Damai Bistari into pumping the money required to built the water tank into the project’s Housing Development Account.

“If the developer does not wish to build the tank, let’s get other contractors to do it,” he said, referring to the fact that another contractor could withdraw money from that account to construct the tank.

He however praised both the Federal and State governments for bringing progress to the once-abandoned project after the buyers announced to vote en bloc for whichever party that helps them in completing the project.

Located at Hulu Kelang, the Ukay Bistari development project was launched by Damai Bistari Sdn Bhd in 2003 consisting of low-cost apartments, service apartments, shops and office lots but was abandoned in 2005 due to the developer’s financial difficulties.