Council finally begins repairing erosion site - The Star

Dec 8 2014

REMEDIAL work on the cave-in site at Laluan Meru Indah 5A in Gerbang Meru Indah, Ipoh has begun.

A check by The Star on Saturday revealed that workers have begun laying down rocks at the eroded area to allow excavators and machinery to navigate in the area.

When met at the site, a contractor, who declined to be named, said works to clear the mess would be conducted first in order for them to continue fixing the riverbank.

“We need to strengthen the riverbank first to avoid further erosion at the area.

“If we don’t fix it, it will also affect the other side of the bank, which is also showing signs of erosion,” he said.

“We can only begin construction work upwards after fixing the bank at the bottom,” he added.

A landslip occurred on Friday at about 8pm, causing a large part of Laluan Meru Indah 5A to cave in.

It is the second time such an incident occurred at the area. The first incident happened on May 30 where an area the size of 20m by 30m collapsed following a downpour.

When asked how long would it take to complete work at the site, the contractor said he could not be certain.

“It will take some time to clear the fallen trees and debris.

“All these will also depend on the weather, more rainfall will delay our work further,” he said.

Ipoh City Council corporate affairs principal assistant director Normala Latiff said the erosion was caused by a broken underground drain.

“The drain and outfall structure will be reconstructed,” she said.

Council yet to rectify situation after road caves in at Gerbang Meru Indah - The Star

WHAT will it take for the Ipoh City Council to act? Is it when the situation has reached a point of no return or worse still, when lives are lost?”

These are the questions being asked by residents of Laluan Meru Indah 5A in Gerbang Meru Indah who continue to live in fear after part of the road caved in about six months ago.

On May 30, an area the size of 20m by 30m, had collapsed following an evening downpour.

The landslide occurred just 4m away from the gate of the corner house where 74-year-old Zaleha Abdullah and her family live.

“To date, nothing is being done to rectify the situation, which is becoming worse by the day.

“All the council ever does is take measurements and photographs but it doesn’t address the urgent problem that is at hand,” said the elderly woman.

A check by The Star revealed that the eroded edges were a mere 0.5m from the road curb in front of Zaleha’s house.

All along the road, cracks and signs of depression were also visible.

“Each time we ask, the council gives the excuse that there are no funds available.

“We are living in fear, more so whenever it rains.

“I am also worried that one of my grandchildren may just venture outside and fall off the edge into the river below,” said Zaleha, who lives with eight grandchildren.

Further down the road, Dr Wong Sher Yee and her husband, Dr Kaw Han Chung, both 32, had a rude shock when part of the retention wall and fencing in front of their corner house collapsed last Friday.

Dr Wong said she had since tried but to no avail to get officers from the council to assess the damage.

“There is a big hole under the road and a stream has formed underneath.

“I spoke to a few officers whom we met during the first collapse but they have refused to even come to see what has happened in front of my house,” she added.

Dr Wong claimed that the council did not have a sense of urgency in dealing with the matter.

“According to the officers, their boss says this recent collapse is not urgent compared to the other end of the road.

“But my question is that, shouldn’t the council be taking preventive measures to ensure the entire stretch of road does not collapse?” she asked.

Another resident, contractor Soong Tam Boo, 67, said should the road in front of Dr Wong’s house collapse, residents living on Laluan Meru Indah 5A would not be able to access their houses.

“Then all of us will have to move away.

“Looking at the cracks and depression on the road, it is quite obvious there are cavities underneath.

“It is just a matter of time before a bigger stretch of the road collapses,” he said.

RM800mil projects in Klang Valley and Ipoh next year - The Star

By DAVID TAN
davidtan@thestar.com.my

GEORGE TOWN: Andaman Property Group, which is based in Kuala Lumpur, will develop six property projects with a gross sales value (GSV) of RM800mil in the Klang Valley and Ipoh next year.

Andaman Property Management Sdn Bhd head of sales and marketing Vincent Tiew said of the six projects, one would be in Ipoh.

In Ipoh, the plan is to develop landed commercial and residential properties while in the Klang Valley, the plan is to develop a mixture of high-rise and landed commercial and residential properties.

The pricing, which is yet to be determined, will be attractive to lure investors, Tiew said.

Potential buyers viewing a model of Andaman’s RM100mil Taipan@Ipoh Cybercentre project during its soft launch recently.

This year, the group launched four projects two in the Klang Valley, one in Johor Baru and one in Ipoh with an estimated GSV of RM350mil.

Ipoh is the group's focus as we have just unveiled the RM100mil Taipan@Ipoh Cybercentre in Bandar Meru Raya, he said.

The project is a 1,600-acre integrated, self-contained township in North Ipoh Growth Corridor, which is being developed by Perak government.

Tiew said the landed commercial and residential project planned for next year in Ipoh would also be in Bandar Meru Raya.

The residential component will be priced affordably to attract first-time home buyers while the commercial components will be marketed to local and outstation investors with competitive pricing, he said.

On the RM100mil Taipan@Ipoh Cybercentre, Tiew said the project saw 50% of its 102 retail lots sold during a three-day preview that started on Nov 26.

Artist's impression of the RM100mil Taipan@Ipoh Cybercentre project.

The three-storey retail lots, with a built-up area of 4,500 sq ft, are priced from RM688,000 while the four-storey retail lots, with built-up areas between 6,000 sq ft and 11,000 sq ft, are priced from RM1.5mil.

Tiew said there were two key reasons for the brisk sales the features of the retail lots and the location of the project, which is close to the Perak MSC Cybercentre in Bandar Meru Raya.

He said some 30 units had dual-frontage, which meant that they were accessible from front and back.

There are 24 retail lots with 770-sq-ft to 1,200-sq-ft land in front of them that can be used for al fresco dining and other business activities. These units cost RM50,000 extra, he said.