The plight of PPR Flats

Vandals marring image of flats, says council

THE Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) has put the blame on vandals who mar the image of Public Housing Project (PPR) flats in Kota Damansara, acccording to a press statement issued yesterday,

In response to the question raised by Kota Damansara assemblyman Dr Mohd Nasir Hashim and MBPJ councillor V. Panneerselvam, the statement signed by public relations officer Zainun Zakaria explained that many facilities in the PPR flats were out of order, damaged or even missing due to vandalism.

“Vandalism is burning a hole in the council’s coffers and it is hard to monitor. The council and the contractor have carried out many repairs but the problems still persist,” she said.
It was learned that the council had appointed Tetuan Melati Evergreen Enterprise to keep PPR Kota Damansara clean.

Following the complaints, the council had also pledged to check the buildings more regularly to ensure that the contractor delivers what had been stipulated in the contract.

“It is saddening that unscrupulous individuals vandalise the units on top of stealing electrical components and other fixtures. Some use the units to store used items.

“This is proven during Dr Nasir’s visit that tenants of 11-01 Block A dump the rubbish they collect into the nearby vacant units,” she added.

Therefore, she said it was decided that repairs would only be done on the vacant units if someone applied to occupy or if the units were used to shelter disaster victims.
Following the report in StarMetro last week, the contractor had fixed the damages and cleaned the area with the help of residents through a gotong-royong.

The contractor had been instructed to ensure that the vacant units were locked to prevent intruders from vandalising and dirtying the place, while the Engineering Department would repair the faulty elevators that had indirectly caused many units beyond Level 10 unoccupied.
The statement also explained that flooding in the area was caused by construction on the PKNS land located next to Block A, adding that the matter had been forwarded to them.