Construction in Putra Heights stopped temporarily

SUBANG JAYA: Construction at the Kingsley Hill housing project in Putra Heights has been halted temporarily following a landslide at the site.

Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) president Datuk Asmawi Kasbi said he had also ordered the developer, B&G Capital Resources Bhd, to produce a report on the incident and an action plan to rectify problems at the site.

"The developer will have to pay for the vehicle damage as well," he said at the scene in Persiaran Putra Perdana here yesterday.

 

Asmawi said the Public Works Institute would determine the cause of the landslide.

On Thursday, a landslide at the construction site submerged five cars and a van. No one was injured.

Persiaran Putra Perdana, which was closed yesterday for road clearing, is expected to re-open today.

Soil from the landslide, said Asmawi, had fallen into a retention pond below the slope, causing mud to spill into the road.

 

Major clean-up: Workers clearing the roads in Putra Heights after a landslide hit the area.

The Kingsley Hill project, which began in 2011 and comprise bungalows and semi-detached houses, would not be cancelled, he said, adding that MPSJ had approved it because it complied with guidelines.

The developer, he said, was responsible as the infrastructure had yet to be handed over to MPSJ.

Asmawi also denied that the landslide would affect the construction of the Kelana Jaya LRT extension line nearby.

 

Institution of Engineers Malaysia geotechnical engineering technical division chairman Liew Shaw Shong said there was no problem in strengthening the slope for houses to be built on top following the landslide.

B&G Capital Resources executive director Soo Kai Chee is expected to meet the press at the company's office today to speak on the matter.

Subang Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Yahaya Ramli said the developer's initial findings showed that the site used to have a small stream flowing into a pond at the foot of the hill.

"It was covered up about a year ago.

 

"They believe that rainwater has eroded the under-soil, causing it to collapse," he said after a meeting with representatives from the Public Works Department, Ikram and Fire and Rescue Department.

ACP Yahaya said the Kingsley Hill college, being built on the other side of the hill, had been declared as safe for now.

Meanwhile, Selangor executive councillor Ronnie Liu said local councils have been instructed to step up the monitoring of slope development.

In SERDANG, heavy rain caused a retaining wall to collapse at Kolej Serumpun, Universiti Putra Malaysia, yesterday.

The 1.5m high wall collapsed at about 6pm, crushing seven motorcycles which were parked at a parking lot nearby.

However, there was no report of any casualties.