They just want to move out

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CENTENARIAN Wong Chee Wah has only one wish. To move from his squatter area into his allocated unit at the PPR Seri Alam.

Wong, 102, said he wanted to live in a home where there were no leakages when it rained.

The oldest resident in Jalan 2 Chan Sow Lin said he had been living there for the past 60 years.

No entry: The PPR Seri Alam in Jln Sg Besi cordoned off with drums and wooden planks

However, over the years his wooden house had experienced its fair share of wear and tear and looks dilapidated with various problems.

“I’ve nowhere to sleep whenever it rains, because of the many holes in the roof,” said Wong, who lives with his daughter Wong Yot Hiog, 60.

“The house is also infested with termites. I just want to move out as soon as possible.”

The Phase 2 of PPR Seri Alam, comprising 920 units was completed last November but the units were yet to be accepted by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).

Too long a wait: Wong with his daughter Yot Hiog.

It is developed and approved by the Syarikat Perumahan Negara Bhd under the Finance Ministry while the National Housing Board that is under the purview of the Housing and Local Government Ministry acts as a monitoring agent to oversee the project.

According to Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai many of the residents from Jalan 2 and 3 Chan Sow Lin have been waiting for a long time to move into their units.

“I was informed by the DBKL that the flats were rejected and handed back to the board due to some serious defects.

“One of it was the water pump problem along with other defects. Hence the City Hall did not accept the units,” said Tan, who was at the PPR Seri Alam site recently with some of the residents.

The entrance to the flats was cordoned off with drums and wooden planks.

Tan added that the residents were ordered to move out from their squatter area four years ago.

“They were given options to either move to the PPR in Puchong or Raya Permai (near Besraya and KL-Seremban Highway) whereby some of the residents were not keen due to the distance.”

Tan added that many of the houses were between 50 and 60 years old, so some of it were in a bad condition.

“Over 200 families are waiting to move into the public flats,” he said.

According to resident Linda Looi, 52, from Jalan Chan Sow Lin 2, some of the houses that were demolished earlier had become a breeding site for mosquitoes.

“You can even find snakes there. We are living in fear and just want to move out,” said Looi.

Another resident Chew Pek Tho, 48, said strong winds would shake her zinc roof that could fall apart at any time.

“We hope to move into the units before Chinese New Year,” said Chew.

Tan said he would bring the matter up with KL mayor Datuk Ahmad Fuad Ismail in the next meeting with him.

“For now, we could only wait for at least an update on the units’ situation,” said Tan.