GEORGE TOWN: Some 1,000 residents in two apartment blocks next to a rocky hill slope here have lost a lot of sleep over the past two decades as they are worried it might collapse anytime.
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The residents of Grandview Heights at Lorong Bukit Kukus in Paya Terubong have had one nasty experience when large rocks came loose and landed on two cars parked by the roadside after heavy rain two years ago.
The November 2018 incident also left one lane closed, with the uncleared debris remaining a sore point for residents as well as being a nuisance for motorists.
Resident S Guru, 60, said the issue has been perennial, with residents pleading for a solution by the authorities for the past 20 years, only to be given empty promises.
“They have been reassuring us that steps would be taken to strengthen the slopes for the past 10 years but nothing was done,” he said
Guru said that in the early 1990s, the rocky hill slope was strengthened with concrete nails bored into it, and a small section of the slope covered in a wire mesh to hold back any falling rocks.
“However, despite that, the cracks on the slope have become wider and mini-waterfalls have started to appear from the gaping crevices.
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“We submitted a letter with 25 signatures from the residents to the authorities two years ago urging action but nothing has been done except for them cordoning off half of the access road,” he told reporters today.
He criticised the authorities, and asked if the residents’ appeal would ever be heard.
“No one has come to help us resolve this problem hanging over our heads,” he said.
Socialist Progressive Front (SPF) leader Chua Cheong Wee, who is assisting the residents, said their complaints to the Penang Island City Councils (MBPP) and Public Works Department (JKR) have only led to finger-pointing.
“The residents were informed that MBPP and JKR were not responsible for any road repairs on Lorong Bukit Kukus. So, I suppose the road is no-man’s land, but the hill slope cannot be neglected.
“It is under the responsibility of the city council and JKR,” Chua said. – FMT