KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 — The government is withholding approval for all new development projects in the national capital city until a task force is formed.
Federal Territories Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the decision was made after the ground at several places in the city collapsed, including a spot in Masjid India just 50 metres away from the sinkhole that swallowed a 48-year-old tourist from India last Friday and who has yet to be found.
“Yes, for now all approvals for new projects will be placed on hold until we have a task force,” she told reporters this evening after inspecting the site of a collapsed drain along Jalan Pantai Permai, Kampung Kerinchi here.
The Kerinchi collapse is said to be due to soil erosion.
When asked if Kuala Lumpur is still safe with the growing number of cave-in incidents, Dr Zaliha said it is, apart from Jalan Masjid India which has been closed to the public after the second sinkhole.
“Insyaallah, it is still safe.
“But as I said earlier you have to be very careful at the area where the sinkhole occurred. That area, we have ensured that no public is allowed in the area,” she replied.
She added that her ministry and the Kuala Lumpur mayor are working together to map all of Kuala Lumpur to identify areas that have potential sinkholes.
She said priority is given to the vicinity of Masjid India.
Dr Zaliha also acknowledged that Kuala Lumpur’s irrigation and drainage channels are more than 30 years old, and that there is a need to conduct an integrity test on these channels.
She was also asked if the sinkholes that formed recently were due to delayed maintenance of the public infrastructure.
Dr Zaliha said she could not confirm if there was any truth to this as inspections are performed yearly.
