Two bungalows in Puncak Setiawangsa to be demolished for buffer zone

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 31 — Two bungalows in Puncak Setiawangsa, each belonging to Setiawangsa Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Zulhasnan Rafique and Special Envoy to the United States, Datuk Seri Dr Jamaludin Jarjis, will be demolished to create a buffer zone between the collapsed embankment and neighbouring houses.

Public Works Institute of Malaysia (Ikram) chief operations officer Mohd Taufik Harun said before any action is taken they need to get information on the condition of the soil and slope following a landslide in Puncak Setiawangsa.

“People can make recommendations, but we will look for the solution,” he said at the Collapsed Embankment Disaster Operations Centre, here today.

He said this move will help save four other houses situated on the hill and reduce the soil pressure on the hill.

“At the moment we find that the houses at the top of the hill will not be badly affected, but we worry about the houses of those living below,” he added.

Meanwhile, demolition work on a bungalow affected by the landslide in Puncak Setiawangsa last Friday is being carried out today. 

Sentul Deputy Police Chief Supt Othman Abu Bakar said the operation will take several days to avoid another landslide. 

“The operation was carried out carefully beginning from the roof and then slowly moving to the lower part of the house,” he said here today. 

He said 283 residents involved have moved while seven other bungalows remain unsafe for occupation. 

Vacated houses are monitored round the clock by the police, Rela and other agencies involved, he added. — Bernama