Highland Towers beauty plan will end stigma, say residents

 

The Highland Towers condominium project has been derelict for 27 years. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: Residents of the area around the Highland Towers tragedy of 1993 have welcomed a government plan to beautify the area and turn it into a historical site.

Siti Hendon Chek, president of the Taman Sri Ukay-ill View Residents Association, said the beautification project could change the perception of the area as a scary location.

She said the site of the ruins, which had been abandoned for 27 years, had become a haven for drug addicts and invited local social problems.

One of three condominium tower blocks of the Highland Towers development collapsed on Dec 11, 1993, killing 48 people. Residents of the other towers were evacuated and the site was abandoned.

“If before we lived in a state of discomfort, at least with this news (plan) we can breathe a sigh of relief if the buildings are demolished and the site is turned into a beautiful area,” she said.

Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin had said recently that the ministry planned to give new life to the Highland Towers area by beautifying it and ensuring the well-being of the residents in the surrounding areas. - FMT