Residents of Danau Kota Flats are happy with the open-air hall that includes a badminton court, two restrooms and an adjacent office for meetings. -LOW BOON TAT/THE STAR
A NEW open-air hall at the Danau Kota Flats in Taman Setapak has become a subject of controversy due to its poor design.
However, Danau Kota Residents Association (DKRA) chairman Kamaruldzaman Mohamad said he was satisfied that the residents got what they asked for after waiting for so long.
The hall includes a badminton court, two restrooms and the DKRA office.
It also serves as a gathering place for residents of the 2,000 units spread across five blocks.
DKRA and Kamaruldzaman spent an additional RM15,984 to instal awnings.
Dr Tan (fourth from left) after lodging a report on the project at MACC’s office. With her are Section 1 Wangsa Maju Rukun Tetangga chairman Zainal Abidin Shahar (left), lawyer Gasper Wun (fourth from right) and several PKR members.
Of this sum, half was borne by Kamaruldzaman.
He said the hall is serving them well, except for a hole in the roof, which Kamaruldzaman said was caused by a rock, allegedly thrown from one of the higher floors.
However, former Wangsa Maju MP Datin Paduka Dr Tan Yee Kew had expressed unhappiness, and said the facility did not match the RM300,000 she had allocated for the project.
“In the first place, it is not right that residents have to fork out their own money to have awnings installed,” said Dr Tan, who was Wangsa Maju MP from 2018 to 2022.
“I set aside the allocation in August 2022 and submitted the paperwork to the Federal Territories Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU), after numerous engagement sessions.”
Tan said she visited the site after the hall was completed, but was disappointed with the facility.
“Based on my estimation, the construction cost should be no more than RM150,000,” she said.
Among her grouses were the location of the electric socket points, which were fixed to metal pillars.
Though the wires were encased in PVC pipes, there was a possibility of a leak and risk of electrocution to the public, she said.
The metal pillars are located less than a metre from the badminton court, which Tan said was not ideal as players could injure themselves if they accidentally hit the structures.
As for the DKRA office, Tan said it was the size of a storeroom and not spacious enough to hold meetings.
She was also disappointed that despite numerous requests to ICU for the plan before construction work was carried out, her requests were ignored.
After seeing the finished result, Tan said she met Federal Territories ICU director Jamaruslam Abdullah to discuss whether remedial works could be carried out, but said her request was denied.
Tan subsequently lodged a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) against the Federal Territories ICU, which comes under the Prime Minister’s Office.
When contacted, Wangsa Maju MP Zahir Hassan said he agreed with Tan.
“For a budget of RM300,000, they should get a better hall.
“The electrical installation is not only sub-standard, but dangerous and requires immediate rectification,” he said.
Jamaruslam has yet to respond to StarMetro’s request for comments at press time. The Danau Kota Flats’ open-air hall includes a badminton court, two restrooms and an office for meetings.
