Some residents living along Kuantan Road in Penang have seen their houses and cars damaged by falling objects from a nearby 10-storey residential project, reported The Star.
Their properties have been clobbered by nuts, nails, bolts, plywood, iron rods, cement debris, rocks and construction tools like a hammer. Sand and dirt also rain on their residences when it’s windy.
“When there is strong wind, it sounds like it is raining stones,” said 53-year-old resident Ricky Teh.
Due to the falling objects, 65-year-old Chew Kin Kheng’s home suffered a large hole in the roof, while some of his neighbours’ vehicles were damaged by wet concrete that have fallen. The nearby construction also caused cracks in their houses.
Although the developer of the high-rise apartments in Jalan S.P. Chelliah have paid for all the repairs, residents fear for their safety, particular for their children who play outside.
“Cars have been damaged but nobody has died yet. Do we wait for that to happen before they improve on safety?” asked 61-year-old Povinder Singh.
As such, the residents want the developer to strengthen the construction site’s safety measures to prevent fatalities and mitigate damages to their properties.
A spokesperson for the developer promised to address the issues being faced by the residents arising from the construction, apart from enhancing safety measures.
“The project is almost done. It will just take another five to six more months,” she said, adding that the workers have started laying the bricks and painting building.
Meanwhile, Penang assemblyman Teh Lai Heng is urging the contractors to seriously install safety precaution and to carry out the work carefully.
Teh added that he had asked the Penang Island City Council (MBPP)’s Buildings Department to frequently conduct safety spot checks at the construction site.
Datuk Keramat assemblyman Jagdeep Singh Deo also advised residents to record (picture) all incidences of falling objects that damage their properties and report these to MBPP.
Image source: The Star
This article was edited by the editorial team of PropertyGuru. To contact them about this or other stories email editorialteam@propertyguru.com.my
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