Cracks finally investigated

The residents of the flash flood-plagued Taman Kota Permai in Penang are hoping for a reprieve after a group of geotechnical investigators last week begun a study on the structural damages that are occurring at the residents’ homes.

The Green Technology, Energy and Water Ministry have assigned Ikram- a division that specializes in geotechnical engineering – to inspect the structural damage that has been plaguing the Kota Permai residents.

The residents have been lobbying the issue with the ministry ever since the Sewerage Services Department embarked on a RM73 million sewerage development project near the residential area about three years ago.

Padang Lalang ADUN Tan Cheong Heng hoped that the latest development would bring an end to the problem.

“I really hope we can reach a conclusion for this issue. This has been going on for three years now,” he said.

Cracks are visible in the houses of the residents, and there has been more than 30 flooding incidents in the area due to the sewerage development.

These floods and cracks have affected 101 houses in the area.

“We set up a special committee which filed all the complaints by the residents and worked hard to try and bring this matter to the authorities attention,” said Taman Kota Permai spokesperson Bernard Cheen.

“We also hope that we will get compensated for all the damages that we had to incur,” he said.

The residents should not be bearing the losses due to the carelessness of the project developer, Cheen said.

The residents had previously made a journey all the way to the administrative capital, Putrajaya to submit a memorandum to Green Technology, Energy and Water Minister Chin Fah Kui in July.

However they were rebuffed by the minister and had to submit the memorandum to a private secretary of Deputy Minister Noriah Kasnon.

The residents are now hoping that their problems will be solved by the year-end.

Watch the video : Residents’ voices finally heard | 04:58 by Jimmy Leow, Citizen Journalist