Jalan Masjid India fully reopens 4 months after sinkhole incident

 

Members of the public are encouraged to lodge a complaint with DBKL if there are signs of another sinkhole or subsidence in Jalan Masjid India. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: 

Jalan Masjid India was fully reopened today, some four months after it was closed following an eight-metre deep sinkhole that led to the disappearance of an Indian national who fell into it.

In a statement, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) said with the reopening of Jalan Masjid India to the public it was committed to ensuring that the capital remains a “safe, sustainable and comfortable” city.

“And if there are signs of another sinkhole or subsidence, the public is encouraged to lodge a complaint via Adu@kl or contact 03-40106337.”

In November, it was reported that part of Jalan Masjid India had been reopened to the public, including the area near the Jalan Masjid India police beat and the alley between business premises.

This was after repair works and soil investigations in the affected area were completed.

On Aug 23, visiting Indian national Vijayaletchumy fell into a sinkhole which suddenly opened up outside Malayan Mansion. A nine-day search and rescue operation was carried out but had to be called off on Aug 31.

The search operation for her was called off on the ninth day due to safety concerns for both the search team and the surrounding areas after another sinkhole was discovered near the original site.

Subsequently, the natural resources and environmental sustainability ministry identified human activity and soil erosion as contributing factors to the sinkhole’s formation.

On a related matter, DBKL said it would be monitoring the surrounding areas periodically, together with utility companies, to ensure the safety of the public.

The RM10 million the government allocated to DBKL will be used to carry out geotechnical research to prevent a recurrence of the sinkhole incident. - FMT