PETALING JAYA, 2 December 2011 : Mayor Datuk Mohamad Roslan Sakiman said about RM4 million is spent yearly for the repair and maintenance of public housing scheme (PPR) flats in the city. To compound matters, rentals owed by occupants have reached about RM5 million.
He added the council is thinking of safeguarding the PPR facilities, such as the lifts, by getting flat owners who default on their RM124 monthly rentals to become "security guards".
"Maybe those who default on their flat rentals should be assigned to guard the flats' lifts. The lifts at these flats are very important to the residents. Most of the time, they break down due to improper use and vandalism.
"These flats do not belong to the council but the council is paying for their maintenance. We should think of a way to make sure the facilities are well guarded," said the mayor.
He added that PPR Lembah Subang has eight blocks of flats with three lifts at each block. PPR Kota Damansara has four blocks of flats with also three lifts in each block. Both flats are known for their high rate of vandalism.
Recently, Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim visited two PPR flats in Section 8 Kota Damansara and Lembah Subang.
The residents had complained the council did not do a good job in maintaining the flat facilities such as the water tank and lifts.
"It is a norm for residents living in these flats to keep the motorbikes in their units. They fear their vehicles will be stolen. Residents also bring the bikes to their units using the lifts and this results in the lifts breaking down," he said. - NST