Sunday, December 7, 2008

National Slope Masterplan ready next year

STAR, 7 December 2008

KUALA LUMPUR: People in buildings in slope development areas will be asked to vacate their premises if they are found to be on the list of risky slopes under the National Slope Masterplan expected to be ready early next year.

Under the masterplan, ongoing development projects will be asked to stop if they are found to be in highrisk slope areas.

Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government, Datuk Robert Law Hui Chew, said development on Class 3 and Class 4 slopes was catergorised as highrisk.

The masterplan, to be drawn by the Public Works Department (PWD), will provide guidelines on construction and development on slopes and his ministry will use it to monitor projects, Law said at the scene of the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

On the call by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi that housing projects on hill sides and on highrisk slopes be halted, he said it should be supported.

"If construction is going on, investigation should be done carefully," he said.

On the allegation of a Bukit Antarabangsa resident who said that the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) did not investigate the causes of fallen trees a few months ago, Law said there might be "negligence" on the part of MPAJ in the matter.

"If MPAJ received the information and did not investigate and take appropriate action, that is not right," he said. - Bernama

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