SINCE Inai Apartments in Pandan Indah was built, it has never been given a fresh coat of paint. It has been 18 years and the existing paint, exposed to the elements, has faded, peeled and cracked.
Residents, however, can look forward to better-looking apartments soon.
Four blocks of Inai Apartments, namely, Block A, B, C and D, will be repainted with colours chosen by residents themselves under the Caring Government For Residents Improvement Aid scheme (Ceria).
Three colour proposals have been put up for residents to vote at the recently held Clean and Harmonious Flats Campaign at the apartment compound. The campaign is an anti-vandalism programme launched by the Selangor government last year.
The programme, which is aimed at giving low and medium-cost flats a new coat of paint, has an allocation of RM9.7 million. It was first implemented at Mentari Apartments in U5, Puchong Permai Apartments and Samudera Apartments in Gombak.
Selangor Housing, Building Management and Squatter committee chairman Iskandar Abdul Samad, who launched the programme at Inai Apartments on Sunday, said the estimated cost of repainting was RM223,000.
"The state government forks out 80 per cent of the cost while the Management Corporation (MC) pays the remainder. So far, the MC has paid up five per cent and work can start anytime now.
"They can settle the balance in instalments," he said, adding that work was expected to begin in the next few weeks.
The cost-sharing method, said Iskandar, was aimed at instilling a sense of responsibility among residents, besides preventing vandalism as residents would take care of the place as they had contributed to the refurbishment.
In its first phase of the scheme, 18 housing projects were identified for repainting. Ten has since been completed while the remaining are in the process of being painted.
Iskandar said the scheme initially aimed to refurbish 100 residential developments but it had received another eight applications.
Among those present at the launch were Ampang Jaya Municipal Council deputy president Abd Hamid Hussain, Pangsapuri Inai MC chairman Shamsudin Hashim and local councillor Lee Shok Jing.
Also unveiled at the event was an anti-vandalism song.