Hussen (right) along with Kuala Lumpur residents and traders holding up photos of unmaintained and neglected areas.
DISGRUNTLED residents of Kuala Lumpur have sent a letter to His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, regarding claims of prolonged unresolved issues by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).
One of the issues involved broken lifts at a People’s Housing Project (PPR).
Former PPR Desa Rejang trader and activist Hussen Zulkarai, 47, said the contractor appointed to repair the lifts at PPR Desa Rejang had previously failed to complete the task of replacing six of them.
“It is understood that the company had been penalised by DBKL before 2023.
“Despite this, the same company was reappointed to replace 38 lifts across 12 blocks at PPR Desa Rejang.
“Given their track record of not being able to replace six lifts, it is concerning that they are selected to manage such a large project in the densely populated PPR Desa Rejang.
“As of August 2024, not a single lift has been replaced since the contract in December 2023, despite the substantial contract value,” Hussen said.
He said the lifts issue was troubling for PPR Desa Rejang residents who included people with disabilities, critically ill individuals and parents with very young children.
The group of 10 who submitted the letter to Istana Negara comprised traders and residents association members.
Another issue at PPR Desa Rejang, said Hussen, was the sewage problem at a kindergarten at one of the flats’ blocks.
“The kindergarten has been flooded with sewage for three months, forcing it to close.
“According to the kindergarten teacher, they have repeatedly reported the issue to DBKL, but the situation has deteriorated significantly,” said Hussen.
He added that his complaint letter regarding DBKL included several other issues, such as neglected community halls, deteriorating road conditions of Dataran Merdeka and the mayor’s lack of engagement with B40 residents.
DBKL, in a press statement, said the contractor appointed for the lift replacement was done through open tender.
The work period for the project is 52 weeks and the location was surrendered to the contractor on April 1 this year.
The project is planned to be completed on March 30, 2025.
There are 38 lifts at 12 blocks of PPR Desa Rejang.
According to the statement, the two parties involved in the management and maintenance of the lifts are the PPR’s management and DBKL.
“DBKL’s job scope consists of replacement of the lift based on the one-off allocation by the Federal Government and the lifts’ monthly maintenance.
“However, any damage to the lift will be borne by the PPR’s management.
“The ‘Madani Lift Initiative’ has received an allocation of RM33.6mil for the replacement of lifts in five public housing and PPR areas, and PPR Desa Rejang is among them,” DBKL said.
The statement added that the lift replacement would be done in two phases.
In the first phase, 18 lifts will be replaced by November, while in the second phase, the remaining lifts will be replaced starting November.
It said based on the timeline, the project was on track.
As of Aug 8, DBKL said some 19 lifts were in operation and one lift at Block K1 had a breakdown.
As for the sewage problem at the kindergarten at the PPR block, DBKL said it was under the supervision of the National Unity Department.
DBKL said it had carried out the repair works, with 50% of the funds coming from the mayor, and it was completed on Aug 6.
