Susan holding the cheque which will be used to pay Beverly Hills Phase 2 Apartment’s outstanding water bill, witnessed by Jimmy (fourth left) and Jannie (fifth left).
KOTA KINABALU: The residents of Beverly Hills Phase 2 Apartment have been urged to pay their share of RM494.05, an amount that has to be paid by each of the 996 residents to help settle the apartment’s exorbitant outstanding water bill, which comes close to half a million.
Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Jimmy Wong Sze Pin said that failure to do so might result in cut off of individual water supply.
As previously reported by local media – due to leakages in the apartment’s pipe system, the apartment currently has an outstanding water bill amounting to RM492,073.70.
In an effort to settle the bill, the Beverly Hills Apartment Phase 2 Committee Council has proposed that each household should pay RM494.05.
“For those who don’t want to pay (the respective contributions of RM494.05), their water supply will be cut off individually. So if you don’t pay, you will have no water.
“You would only have yourself to blame if your water supply were to be cut off.
“(It has to be understood that) this was an unfortunate disaster the water pipe burst – there were leakages,”
Jimmy told reporters at a press conference chaired by himself and the committee members on Tuesday.
According to Jimmy, the plan now was for the apartment to settle the bill in five instalments. This means that the apartment plans to pay RM100,000 for the next five months, until the total outstanding bill was settled.
Phase 2 Committee Council chairperson Susan Taylor disclosed that the committee had successfully raised RM100,000 to pay the first instalment as they managed to collect the respective contributions from 200 residents.
This means that more than 700 of the remaining residents have not yet paid their share.
In this regard, Susan assured the residents that the RM494.05 would be paid back as rebate to them.
“We are appealing to the residents to contribute RM494.05, which the committee would pay back. This is just like a ‘loan’ from the residents,” said Susan.
Those who have paid their share would enjoy RM10 deductions from their monthly service charges from next year onwards, until the RM494.05 has been fully paid back.
“Meaning to say, we are appealing to them to help instead of ‘forcing’ them to pay,” she added.
In January, the total water bill for Beverly Hills Phase 2 skyrocketed to RM50,000 compared to the usual RM20,000.
Following an inspection, it was discovered that the exorbitant hike was due to the water leakages in the apartment’s water pipes.
“Therefore, for the past seven months, we suffered. We now have about half a million in losses.
“So what the committee is appealing now is for the residents to help as we (the committee) do not have sufficient funds to cover the water losses. The Water Department would cut our supply if we fail to pay,” Susan explained.
Meanwhile, Jimmy revealed that there were allegations that the pipes used for the apartment were not approved by Sirim. It was further alleged that the pipes used were made from recycled materials.
Jimmy also suggested that the residents also appeal to the developer of Beverly Hills to help and reconstruct the water pipes.
In view of this, Jimmy urged all the developers in the state to always ensure that all their materials had been approved by the relevant authorities.
Jimmy said that Kepayan assemblywoman Jannie Lasimbang had been tasked to meet with the developer of Beverly Hills to discuss and ask whether the developer could rectify the pipe problem.