Tuesday July 26, 2011

Rewired to reduce fire risks

By CHRISTOPHER TAN
christan@thestar.com.my

THE RM1.13mil rewiring works along the corridors of Block A and B of the Kampung Melayu low-cost flats in Air Itam, Penang, are now completed.

State Town and Country Planning, Housing and Arts Committee chairman Wong Hon Wai said the wiring works which included the rewiring of 496 units in Block A and changing of the electrical switch box in the units of Block A, started eight-months ago and were completed in June.

“There are however 48 units in Block A and five units of shops in the same area whose owners refused to undergo some rewiring,” he said.

Wong, who is also the Air Itam assemblyman, said the owners might have recently changed or rewired their units on their own and thus, felt the move unnecessary.

“The state is concerned over the residents’ welfare since the wiring has not been maintained since the units were first completed in the 1970s.

Feeling safer: Steven and his wife Santana Mary, 64, taking a closer look at the new electrical switch box in their unit at the Kampung Melayu flats

“We rewired the units in Block A first because the block was built in the early 1970s while Block B was built in the late 1970s.”

Wong said the state had decided to do the rewiring for the two blocks of flats to avoid the risk of fire.

“As the number of electrical appliances increases in every household, it is important to have a safe wiring network installed,” he said during the handing over of the project’s maintenance work from Public Works Department to the State Secretariat Housing Department at the low-cost flats on Sunday.

Wong also said claims that the Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had sidelined the Malays here was a lie.

“The area in Kampung Melayu consists of 75% Malay, 20% Chinese and 5% Indian. This project is an example that we have been taking care of the people’s welfare.

“The state treasurer had also approved the repainting of Block A and B of the Kampung Melayu flats whereby the state will bear 80% of the cost of painting.”

Private companies had banked in a sum of RM80,000 to the State Secretariat as part of their corporate social responsibility for the repainting of the flats.

Wong said the Penang Development Corporation would be providing him an implementation timeline on the repainting works in about two weeks and the repainting was scheduled to commence after Hari Raya.

Retiree Steven Joseph, 70, said the move to rewire the units in Kampung Melayu flats was a good one.

“We can now feel secure that there will be less risk of a fire due to wiring complications,” he said.