Residents in Flora Damansara who have been dealing with issues with the building’s lifts will soon receive assistance from their elected representative. Damansara MP Gobind Singh Deo has committed RM12,000 as part of the deposit to repair the lifts in the medium-cost apartment located in Damansara Perdana, Petaling Jaya.
Gobind visited the apartments on Saturday and his contribution will help expedite the repair works on the lifts. Flora Damansara has a total of 2,541 apartments with over 9,000 residents.
Following a complaint from a resident, Gobind stated that the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) Selangor conducted an inspection on August 25 and condemned most of the apartment lifts due to safety concerns.
A spokesperson for Flora Damansara building management stated that out of the 14 lifts, 10 were condemned by DOSH. The estimated cost to repair the lifts is over RM340,000.
The contractors have agreed to prioritize the repair of two lifts in each block, which will cost an estimated total of RM173,000. To commence the repairs, a deposit of at least 30% of the estimated cost is required, amounting to over RM50,000.
The building management has contributed RM40,000 towards the deposit, while Gobind’s office has agreed to cover the remaining balance. Gobind emphasized the importance of having multiple operational lifts in each block as a top priority.
He added that the repairs need to be done urgently as it is a serious matter. The funds for the repairs will be sourced from his parliamentary budget.
Flora Damansara consists of four blocks of apartments, each with 25 floors. At present, only one lift per block is operational. DOSH and the contractors are working together to inspect the lifts, and those with minor issues will be repaired first.
It is hoped that by Monday, at least two lifts in each block will be operational after reinspection by DOSH.
Gobind having a closer look at one of the faulty lifts with Syamsul.
Gobind also emphasized the need to address the long-term problem. Residents cannot afford to pay the entire cost of repairs upfront, so an installment plan will be arranged with the contractor during the repair work.
Syamsul Razman Muhammad, the Chairman of Flora Damansara Joint Management Body, stated that residents have to wait in queues for up to 30 minutes to enter a lift, and most people are resorting to using the stairs to climb the 25 floors in each block.
He mentioned that there is an issue with residents not paying their maintenance fees on time, resulting in insufficient funds for regular lift maintenance.
Kamsiah Khalid, a long-time resident who lives with her family and elderly father, mentioned that they have to use the stairs daily as her father cannot climb them, resulting in a 30-minute wait for the lift.
With schools reopening soon, they expect the queues for the lifts to be even worse, especially during peak hours. Another resident, Sharon Lim, shared a similar experience, stating that she and her husband now place all their necessary items in the car after midnight, when the lift queues are shorter. They then walk down the stairs from their 10th floor apartment in the morning.
Lim added that the residents were unaware of the lack of proper lift maintenance until someone reported it, and now they have to deal with the serious problem of faulty lifts.
Credit: The Star : Metro Feed
