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Residents will be
moved to safer areas
by Tan Yi Liang
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
KUALA LUMPUR: Residents of the
Hulu Kelang area affected by last
Saturday’s landslide will be moved
as the area is unsafe, Minister of
International Trade and Industry
Tan Sri Muhiyiddin Yassin said
yesterday.
He said the Public Works
Department and the Public Works
Institute of Malaysia (Ikram) have
informed the government that the
area is not safe and, therefore, the
security forces have been directed
to move the residents to safer areas.
The government will assist in
the move.
Muhyiddin said accommodation
would be arranged for those
without family members or friends.
“I have discussed the matter
with IGP Tan Sri Musa Hassan so
that we can take the proactive steps
of preparing accommodation such
as in hotels,” he said.
Asked about the compensation,
he said such matters were “a
secondary issue” and that the main
prority now was to save lives.
Speaking to newsmen after
touring the disaster area,
Muhyiddin stressed that the issue
of hillslope development was one
that the government has to take
seriously.
“This is something that the
government has to look at very
seriously. The prime minister and
the deputy prime minister have
visited this place and have given
instructions on what should and
what should not be done and I hope
it is adhered to strictly,” he said.
Ampang Barisan Nasional
chairman Datuk Ismail Kijo said a
charity fund will be set up to help
the victims of the landslide.
“A fund for the Bukit
Antarabangsa disaster has been set
up and donors have come forward.
| TUESDAY DECEMBER 9 2008
The Umno Ampang division has He said the fund was supported
began with a contribution of by RTM with cooperation of the
RM10,000 and Muhyiddin has Ministry of Information.
contributed RM30,000,” he said.. Ismail also said a committee
“The funds collected will help will be formed to coordinate the
ease the problems faced by the donations and assistance.
home owners and, at the same An operations centre will be set
time, will help their children, who up to coordinate assistance and
will be returning to school early those affected could approach the
next year. commitee to register their case.
SHARIL AMIN/THESUN
Muhyiddin
tours
the area
affected by
the landslide
yesterday.
briefs
On the right
is IGP Tan Wet weather hampers SAR team
Sri Musa KUALA LUMPUR: Wet weather has hampered the movement of
Hassan. the search and rescue (SAR) team at Taman Bukit Mewah and
Taman Bukit Utama in Bukit Antarabangsa as parts of the terrain
have become slippery.
A senior Fire and Rescue Department official
said yesterday the slippery ground posed a ma-
jor obstacle to the team, which had to exercise
extra caution as the soil was getting softer.
“Our biggest fear is that if there was soil
movement on a larger scale, another landslide
is in the making,” he told Bernama.
He said the SAR team was equipped with
highly-sophiscated devices to detect trapped
victims, if any.
A Public Works Department surveyor said the
department’s engineering team was carrying out
soil stability tests in the area.
“Our main focus now is to determine whether
there would be another landslide in any of the
surrounding areas. The result will be ready soon,”
he said.
Power supply restored
KUALA LUMPUR: Tenaga Nasional Berhad
(TNB) restored electricity supply to about
1,500 houses affected by the Bukit Antara-
bangsa landslide yesterday.
Its vice-president (distribution), Azman
Mohd, said supply was restored at 5.26pm.
He said restoration work, which involved
10 officers and 25 contract workers, began
at 3am and the supply was restored through
12 sub-stations.
“The 11kV temporary ‘aerial bundled
cable’ built by us can last between five and
six years, depending on usage. I feel there
is no need for any generator for the time
being,” he said.
The houses which got their power back
included those in Taman Puncak in Bukit
Utama, Taman Bukit Jaya, Kondo Casa Desol,
Southern Heights, Kyoto Garden, Taman
Bukit Utama and Oakleaf condominium.