Flat owners want ‘blasted’ Block E pulled down

April 14, 2015

Notice for evacuation has been put up in front of the damaged building.

SIBU: The Housing Development Corporation (HDC) will wait for the full ‘worthiness’ report on the four-storey Block E flat in Sibu Jaya before deciding whether to assist in repairs or to help rebuild it.

Assistant Housing Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said this yesterday in response to calls from several owners of the flat to rebuild Block E.

An explosion occurred in one of the units in the wee hours of Saturday, and the impact was so powerful it blew off six walls on the ground and first floors of the flat.

Some owners of the flat hoped HDC would pull down the building and build a new one, instead of repairing the damaged parts.

HDC is the government agency behind the Sibu Jaya Township development.

Owner Catherine Bernard claimed of suffering from emotional and psychological scars, adding that many people would not dare enter the flat if only repairs were made.

Abdul Karim said the house owners were the beneficial owners of the apartment, not HDC.

He added the units were purchased from HDC more than 10 years ago.

“HDC needs to study whether the defects are structural defects caused by HDC or by outside factors,” he told The Borneo Post.

He pointed out that in a normal sale and purchase of landed property, it was the responsibility of the buyer to repair and be responsible for the landed property after expiry of the warranty period, unless the defects were structural defects caused by bad workmanship.

“However, HDC, being a responsible government agency, will look into all avenues so as not to burden and cause hardship to their purchasers, including doing repairs or rebuilding their units.

“A decision will only be made after due investigation has been done by experts in this field. It must be noted that initial findings of the cause of the damage was an explosion due to factors outside HDC’s purview.

More than a dozen residents were injured in the 2.48am blast, and all 179 residents of Block E were now temporarily taking shelter at the multipurpose hall at the township.

Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) director Nor Hisham Mohammad, when contacted yesterday, said they were in the process of finalising the report.

“A meeting will be held with other relevant agencies to discuss on the next course of action,” said Nor Hisham.