‘KMC Flats meant for urban poor’

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CLEAN: The three-storey two-bedroom flats facing a well kept playground charge rental of RM157 per month.

KUCHING: Kuching South City Council (MBKS) says the Kuching Municipal Council (KMC) flats are rented to tenants from the low income group and not to the rich as alleged.

Its mayor Datuk James Chan said that the claim that the rich tenants were still occupying the flats meant for urban poor, added that the council had evicted more than 30 ineligible tenants since it started the tenancy review in 2007.

“Now, all tenants are required to sign a three-year tenancy contract after which their status will be reassessed to determine their eligibility,” he told reporters here yesterday, adding that the next review would be done sometime middle of this year.

HISTORICAL: The seven-storey flats provide a roof at a minimal charge for needy tenants.

The council started the first tenancy review in August 2007 following numerous issues on ineligibility and abuse being raised.

Now, the tenancy agreement will be reviewed once every three years.

“Most of the tenants are single mothers and poor elderly people,” Chan said.

One of the oldest residents, Chan added, had been staying there since the 1960s.

He said it was a dilemma having to deal with such tenant considering the situation they were in as they were abandoned by their children.

“That is why we try to be considerate and make exemption for these people because we can’t just throw them out to the street.

“If there are people who know there are tenants who have abused the privilege, they can always report to us and we will deal with the problem swiftly,” he added.

Chan said that applicants had to meet a set of criteria and pass interviews with its standing committee to be eligible to rent the flats.

Among the criteria was that the gross household earnings must not exceed RM1,200 a month and that the applicants must not own any landed property.

“We also work with the Welfare Department to assist the needy in allowing them a place at the flats, provided that there are available units,” he said.

Chan also said they were helping to look for private companies or individuals to provide rental as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for tenants who couldn’t afford it.

On maintenance of the KMC Flats, Chan said the council spent slightly over RM100,000 a year for repair of reported damages, up-keeping the compound, grass-cutting and so on.

“Over the years, the council has done a lot for the flats. Whenever a tenant complains to us, we will send people down to fix the damage,” he said.

The mayor said he was very thankful to the BN government for the allocation received two years ago to upgrade the flats.

“We want to give a better living environment for the tenants,” he said.

Chan said he and his team were committed in carrying out their duties to meet the demands and needs of the people.

As such, he felt that the case highlighted in thesundaypost last week was an isolated case and one person’s ‘punctured hope’ could not be considered the grievances of all the people living there towards the council.

“We are not perfect but we have done a lot over the years to provide comfort for the residents.”

There are four types of flats with a total of 531 units divided into 22 blocks which are named after small towns in Sarawak. They were built in 1957.

The flats consist of terraced houses charging rental of RM179 per unit per month, three-storey two-bedroom unit (RM157), two-storey one-bedroom unit (RM119) and seven-storey one-bedroom unit (RM110).

The rental rate was last reviewed in 2007.