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KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 15): The sales licence of the condominium block under construction in Taman Desa off Old Klang Road that collapsed yesterday will be suspended until investigations are completed, Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin said today according to a Free Malaysia Today (FMT) report.
The report quoted Zuraida saying the Attorney-General’s Chambers will suspend the Advertising Permit and Developer’s Licence (APDL).
It also said the ministry will hold a meeting with the relevant bodies, including the developer, on Monday.
According to FMT, Zuraida said: “My ministry, as the regulator for development project, will have the meeting with Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), the Construction Industry Development Board, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the developer.
“The project was supposed to finish in 54 months. There are no land issues,” she told reporters after officiating at the 2020 Kuala Lumpur Architecture Festival here today.
She said the probe into the cause of the collapse will take about a month and NIOSH had been asked to speed up the process.
Meanwhile, Bernama reported Federal Territories Minister Khalid Abdul Samad as saying weak foundations or pillars, which do not meet the specifications, could possibly be the cause of the collapse.
“The building collapsed before it rained. It was not a landslide; the incident was before the rain.
“Perhaps the structure of the building itself does not follow specifications, causing it to collapse from the sixth floor to the bottom,” he said after launching the “Kempen KITA” programme at the Seri Perak Public Housing in Sentul today.
However, Khalid said thorough investigations must be carried out to find out the real cause.
Khalid also advised all developers not to use shortcuts in their construction projects. “In this matter, nobody wins. The developer should abide by all the procedures which have been set out.”
Part of the sixth floor of The Address 2, a 37-storey condominium under construction by Maxim Holdings Sdn Bhd, collapsed during heavy rain at at 3.30pm on Friday afternoon, trapping two workers from Bangladesh who were rescued several hours later.
The first victim, aged 30, was found among the debris on the first floor of the building at 5.15pm, while the second, aged 26, was pulled out from the rubble at 9.30pm.
Zuraida had issued a stop-work order with immediate effect during a visit to the site last night.
She said it will take Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) about a month to determine the cause of the collapse.
A statement from Maxim acknowledged the concern of purchasers and other parties on the "giving way of The Address 2 swimming pool slab (6th floor) during concrete casting" and gave assurances that the cause of the incident is being investigated.
"We assure you that we are committed to ensuring the highest of building standard and the integrity of the development is of prime importance. We will spare no effort in ensuring that our obligations under the SPA are fulfilled fully. Please have our assurance on that," the statement said, adding that the developer will provide an update in the coming days.
Click here to see condominiums for sale in Old Klang Road, Kuala Lumpur.
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