Penduduk kondo merungut.

LIM Lip Eng (tengah) melawat sebuah unit di Kondominium Amandari yang terbakar baru-baru ini dipercayai akibat litar pintas.

Petikan dari Arkib Utusan : 04/05/2009

Oleh SITI AIRUNNISA ALAUI

SEGAMBUT 3 Mei - Masalah penduduk yang tinggal di perumahan bertingkat dilihat tidak pernah selesai sama ada di kondominium, apartmen apatah lagi di Projek Perumahan Rakyat (PPR).

Isunya tetap sama iaitu kegagalan pemaju menyelenggara kemudahan di perumahan berkenaan dan keengganan penduduk membayar yuran penyelenggaraan kepada pemaju.

Masalah tersebut umpama main tarik tali antara kedua-dua pihak. Tiada yang mahu mengalah yang akhirnya membawa kepada sikap lepas tangan oleh pemaju dan salah-menyalahkan antara satu sama lain.

Masalah yang sama turut dilalui oleh 88 penghuni Kondominium Amandari di Taman Sri Sinar di sini yang menyuarakan rasa tidak puas hati terhadap pelbagai masalah yang dihadapi dan tuduhan kegagalan pemaju menyelenggara kemudahan di kondominium berkenaan.

Penduduk mendakwa, akibat kurang penyelenggaraan, tiga unit rumah di kondominium berkenaan hangus dijilat api dalam satu kebakaran berpunca daripada litar pintas baru-baru ini.

Anggota bomba terpaksa mengambil masa agak lama untuk memadamkan api yang marak kerana laluan ke kediaman tersebut terlalu sempit dan tekanan air terlalu rendah sehingga menyukarkan bomba untuk melakukan tugas mereka.

Bagi meninjau keadaan sebenar kediaman terbabit, Utusan Malaysia ke kawasan perumahan tersebut atas jemputan penduduk bersama Ahli Parlimen Segambut, Lim Lip Eng.

Penduduk mendakwa kediaman bertingkat yang mewah itu juga banyak masalah termasuk isu penyelenggaraan.

Mereka turut mendakwa telah empat tahun membeli dan menginap di kondominium tersebut dan sepanjang tempoh itu, pelbagai kesukaran sudah dilalui.

Seorang penduduk yang ditemui, Ng Yee Kim, 28, berkata, dari luar, kondominium itu nampak cantik tetapi selama dia tinggal di kondominium berkenaan, pelbagai masalah timbul.

Ujarnya, antara masalah utama ialah kebocoran sistem saliran air di kawasan meletak kenderaan, penggera keselamatan dalam lif yang rosak, tiada kamera litar bertutup, rekahan dinding, kolam renang tidak diselenggara dan tiada pili bomba.

Jelasnya, kesemua masalah tersebut telah dilaporkan kepada pemaju namun sehingga kini keadaan tersebut masih berlarutan kerana pemaju mendakwa penduduk tidak membayar yuran penyelenggaraan.

"Masalah penduduk tidak membayar yuran penyelenggaraan memang diakui berlaku namun mengapa kami yang membayar pula yang menjadi mangsa.

"Seharusnya pemaju mengambil inisiatif dan tindakan kepada penduduk yang tidak membayar yuran berkenaan dan bukannya membiarkan masalah berkenaan berlarutan sehingga menyukarkan semua penduduk," katanya ketika ditemui di sini.

Seorang lagi penduduk yang ditemui, Kenny Pang, 38, melahirkan rasa kesal dengan pemaju apabila lambat mengambil tindakan terhadap masalah yang dilaporkan.

Jelasnya, walaupun beberapa kali laporan telah dibuat kepada mereka namun aduan tersebut umpama mencurahkan air ke daun keladi.

"Saya bukan hendak menyalahkan kesemua masalah yang berlaku kepada pemaju sahaja namun bagi hal-hal yang penting seperti kebocoran saluran air dan penggera keselamatan ia jelas sekali kesalahan pemaju dan ia melibatkan keselamatan kami yang tinggal di kawasan ini.

Difahamkan, kediaman tersebut telah memperoleh hak milik strata tetapi penduduk enggan menandatangani sehingga segala masalah di perumahan berkenaan diselesaikan oleh pemaju.

Petikan The Star 5 Mei 2009

Condo residents jittery after blaze

By CHRISTINA LOW

IT WAS a near miss that residents of the Amandari Condominium at Segambut in Kuala Lumpur will not forget easily, and they are now living in fear of a fire outbreak.

Lightning struck three units recently, causing a fire and the residents now feel jittery each time there is a thunderstorm and flashes of lightning in the sky.

But the real risk during the fire last week was when the firemen arrived and had a hard time driving the fire engine through the condominium’s main entrance.

Precious time was wasted as the fire engine had to squeeze through the gate.

The residents want the developer to ensure that the two condominium blocks are safe, particularly with arrester rods in working condition and ensuring the easy accessibility of rescue vehicles such as fire engines.

The residents raised the issue at a meeting with Azmal Shah, an official of the developer Sheyher Development Sdn Bhd. The meeting was arranged by Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng,

Scene of devastation: One of the three damaged units that were hit by the fire.

On the fateful day when the fire broke out, neighbouring residents who heard the loud bang rushed out of their homes but did not realise that a fire had broken out.

According to resident K.P. Tiam, it was the foreign workers from the construction site opposite the condominium who saw the fire and alerted them by shouting.

Tiam said the residents then called the fire and rescue services department which promptly sent a fire fighting team in a fire engine, but they had a hard time struggling to get past the narrow main entrance.

“Much precious time was wasted as the fire engine had to squeeze its way through the gate,” he said.

“The condominium developer should do something about the entrance and exit points because during an emergency, getting to the problem area fast is essential to protect life and property,” Tiam said.

In addition to the lightning and fire risk, residents of the four-year old condominium also have a bagful of complaints to highlight.

“We have been suffering from water leakages and our walls are cracking.” said Ng Yee Kim, 28.

Ng said she had been diligently paying her maintenance fees, but when she lodged a complaint on her unit with the developer, the company just ignored her.

“I keep reminding the company about the problem but no action has been taken to rectify the situation,” said Ng, who then decided to stop paying her maintenance fees from January this year.

According to Azmal, the residents of the two blocks owed the company more than RM240,000 in maintenance fees. “Sometimes, we manage to collect about 50% of the maintenance fees from the 88 units, but there are times when we only have about 30% to 40%,” Azmal said. He blamed the residents for not taking the initiative to attend meetings organised by the developer, saying that usually only about 20% of them were present.

Azmal said some units had gone through various renovations and rectifications which might be the cause of the leaking problem and other defects, but a thorough check had to be conducted.

Asked about the fire incident, Azmal said the company was still waiting for the full report from the fire and rescue services department which would take about two weeks.

He also said if the residents were not satisfied with the developer, they should perhaps ask the housing tribunal to mediate on the matter.

Meanwhile, Lim said he had discussed the matter with the developer last year when he visited the area but the situation had not changed much since then.

Lim said he understood that the developer needed to collect at least 70% of maintenance fees monthly for works on the building, but he did not blame the residents for not wanting to pay as their complaints were not attended to.

“I have discussed with the developer urging the company to rectify certain parts of the condominium first to let the residents know that there is value for their money,” he said.

“Once residents see that things are being done, I am sure they will pay their fees,” Lim said.

Lim said he would wait for the report from the fire and rescue service department to discover the cause of the incident, especially with regard to the safety of the two blocks.