Phoong (right) speaking at the home of one of the affected residents of Taman Milek Phase 1.
KOTA KINABALU: Luyang state assemblyman Phoong Jin Zhe has urged the government to compensate 22 Taman Milek Phase 1 residents who have suffered losses due to the flyover construction in the area.
Phoong, who is also DAP Sabah Socialist Youth chief, said he had kept an eye on the project for years.
“After the government decided to implement the J11 Jalan Lintas U-turn Flyover project in January 2018 and then executed it in January 2019, it is obvious that the 22 houses at Taman Milek Phase 1 that are located adjacent to the construction site have been severely damaged,” he said here yesterday.
“Throughout these years, I have been monitoring closely this particular construction. With the completion of the construction soon, the residents are now even paranoid and anxious about their housing conditions as it is damaged in various areas. The government has not promised any form of compensation up to now despite there being obvious evidence of damage caused.
“Most of the public acknowledge and sympathize with the loss of the residents, both financially and mentally,” he added.
Cracks on the walls in two of the 22 damaged houses at Taman Milek Phase 1 allegedly due to the construction of the flyover in Luyang.
Phoong said serious cracks that threatened the residents’ safety had appeared in several houses.
He said the residents had also suffered from long-term noise, air pollution and vibration during the construction period due to the proximity between their houses and the construction site.
“If the owners are to rectify the broken parts, they have to bear a huge financial burden amid the economic recession triggered by the pandemic. It is also mentally a burden,” he said.
Phoong said the value of the houses would also be affected after the construction of the U-turn Flyover as it is very close to the residential area.
“I have been following up on this issue closely with the Public Works Department (JKR). On March 9, I had a meeting with the JKR officers regarding the progress of the compensation to the residents,” he said.
“According to a letter replied by the Public Works Department on January 27, 14 out of 22 house owners did not participate in the dilapidation survey conducted earlier. This is also because the residents were against the implementation of the project earlier on.
“Therefore, the related authorities cannot validate whether the damages are caused by the construction of the flyover. Lastly, the officer mentioned that the residents may be unable to claim any compensation.
“In my humble opinion, the residents truly have the right to stand against the implementation of the project legally. The department cannot state that the current report that shows the damages caused are not related to the construction despite the residents not accepting the dilapidation survey that was conducted before.
“Nevertheless, the government cannot deny that 22 houses were damaged at the same particular time when the construction was implemented. Of course, the residents can challenge for compensation in court but the government should have understood the hardship that is being faced by the people,” he said.
“The residents demand compensation in both the form of repairing their broken properties and cash. In my opinion, this is acceptable and reasonable. I have raised this issue to the Minister of Works, Datuk Bung Moktar in the previous State Assembly sitting.
“I would like to humbly appeal to both the Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor and Deputy Chief Minister cum Minister of Works, Datuk Bung Mokhtar to step in and consider compensating these residents an appropriate amount for their losses.
“The government must restore the normal, safe and comfortable environment for these residents after approving the project to be implemented in the 2017 Federal Budget and I truly feel sympathetic for what the residents have been undergoing for the past three years,” he concluded.
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