Woes at Kinta Heights

RESIDENTS of city landmark Kinta Heights face a host of problems but faulty lifts at the 20-storey apartment block top the list.

They have to brace themselves every day when they walk into the elevators as the tendency for it to break down is very high.

For those who live in the block, one of the oldest Ipoh city council owned flats, lift breakdowns have been never-ending despite previous attempts at repairing or even replacing the units.

Unlike conventional elevator operations elsewhere, lifts at this high-rise block stops by itself at almost every level — meaning a single trip to the highest floor can even take up to an hour.

Kinta Heights Rukun Tetangga (RT) chairman Chang Kok Aun said the four lifts were replaced with new ones three years ago, yet they still broke down.

“We have countless incidences of residents being trapped in the lifts. Many of them had been trapped so many times and they are fed up and opt to take the stairs,” he said.

He said the most frequently mentioned complaints about faulty lifts were the most apparent when residents were asked about issues at their flats.

They are, however, pleased that crime is not an issue.

“There is strong enforcement personnel presence in the area to curb crime and the RT carries out daily night patrols from midnight to 6am,” Chang said.

The police have also set up a small beat-base near the flats, under the Ops Payung, to help curb crime.

City Hall has employed security guards and they are posted at a guardhouse in the flats’ grounds.

Also, there is a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera installed near the streets.

Chang said the elevator problem was the biggest headache for residents.

“The lifts have been a constant problem and we do hope City Hall could look into the issue as taking the stairs is not a good long-term solution,” he added.

Kinta Heights Residents Association committee member Zulkifli Ismail, 43, said there was a time when City Hall maintained the lifts well.

“I remember more than three years ago, there was a council- appointed a contractor who would inspect the elevators once every four days even though there were no reports of breakdowns,” he said.

However, Zulkifli said now repairs would only be carried out a few days after a breakdown was reported.

“We hope the matter can be solved as there are sick and elderly among the 2,000 people living in these flats,” he said.

Apart from the lift breakdowns, vandalism also takes place along the long corridors of the flats.Pipes and even fire-fighting equipment are stolen or destroyed.

Inconsiderate residents also mar the cleanliness of the flat by littering.

Councillor Choo Kean Seng, who oversees the high-rise building, said the main cause of lift breakdown was vandalism and inconsiderate behavior of the residents.

“Even after the lifts were replaced in 2008, there were residents littering, peeing in the lift and even pressing all the buttons at once, causing others to wait for a long time,” he said.

He said the company responsible for the lift maintenance conducted regular monthly checks along with their engineer, pointing out that the Kinta Heights RT also had the company’s contact number.

“This is to ensure the residents can reach the contractors as soon as possible for immediate action if there were any breakdown,” he said.