Friday 29 Mar 2024
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(June 9): The 99-year-old 100 Quarters in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, will cease to exist by next week.

Demolition work had started on Sunday to tear down the 12 blocks of former government quarters.

Sources close to the project said that 70% of the houses had been demolished so far.

The source said it took the contractors two days to level the houses which were already in a bad condition and unstable.

"All the contractors had to do was rest the excavator on the houses and they fell apart.

"The contractors were initially supposed to use four excavators but because of the poor condition of the houses, one excavator was enough to complete the job," the source said, adding that most of the wooden beams that made up the inner structure of the houses were termite infested.

The Malaysian Insider had quoted MRCB executive vice-president Datuk Dell Akbar Khan as saying that the former government quarters would be demolished for safety and security reasons.

The houses had been left vacant since the residents were relocated in September last year. It has since became a haunt for vagrants and drug addicts and residents were worried for their safety.

Dell had said that the 1.4ha land had yet to be handed over to MRCB under a privatisation agreement with the government.

The demolition was carried out with the approval of Bahagian Pengurusan Hartanah under the Prime Minister's Department, which oversees the land, and Kuala Lumpur City Hall.

Dell, however, said it was too early to confirm when the MRCB project would begin.

It had previously been reported that MRCB's plans for the site would feature three blocks of 1,350 serviced apartments in 40-storey towers.

There were also plans to have a small corner to commemorate the 100 Quarters as requested by residents in the area.

The source said that out of 12 blocks, four were left to be levelled.

"The contractors are focusing on the houses that are located away from the main roads.

"For safety reasons, the houses close to Jalan Tun Sambanthan and Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad will be demolished last," the source said.

When asked if any of the houses would be retained for historical purposes, the source said for safety reasons, all the houses had to be demolished.

"The developer was asked to retain a couple of houses, but that will not be possible with the poor state of the houses," he said. – The Malaysian Insider

 

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