Furious over cracks on walls

 The Star - Metro
 Published: Tuesday August 12, 2014 MYT 12:00:00 AM
  by christina low

FIVE houseowners in Taman Seri Minang, Cheras are furious over the cracks that have appeared on the walls of their houses. They are blaming the problem on a neighbouring condominium project where construction work started last year.
Cracks can be seen in various parts of the three-storey semi-detached houses, including the garden walls, kitchen and the porch area.
“We have complained so many times but the problem is unsolved,” said Manjit Singh, one of the affected owners.

The 65-year-old said his kitchen was in a mess as cracks could be seen everywhere, including in his maid’s room at the back of the house.

Ng touching a cracks at one of the affected houses.

“Tiles are breaking up in my porch and the walls around my garden are cracking, leaving a huge gap,
“The gaps are so big, I can even see what is in the house next to me,” he said.
Another resident, Yap Moi Heong, said pieces of tiles were falling from her kitchen walls while hairline cracks could be seen in other areas of her house.
“The contractor came and patched it but it is now back to square one, and the cracks have appeared again,” said the 44-year-old housewife.
Businessman Wong Foo Choong who lives in the corner unit said he moved out from his home for two months fearing the safety of his family as the cracks worsened.
“We live with my brother for two months and only moved back here recently,
“The cracks are so big, I am just afraid if my kitchen would fall apart,” he said adding that he often fears for the safety of his family.
Balakong assembleyman Eddie Ng visited the site together with the condominium project’s main contractor, Ong CK, to assess how the company could assist the families in rectifying the cracks.
“We did not expect the houses to suffer from such cracks when work to stabilise the slope was done,” said Ong, adding that strong vibration from the works could have been the cause.
The two-block condominium consists of 22-storeys each with 326 units is expected to be completed in July next year.
Ng urged the contractor to submit a proposal on how they would rectify the cracks by Aug 15, failing which the Kajang Municipal Council would issue a stop-work order.
“We want a detailed paper explaining the cause and how they plan to solve it,” he said.