KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 — Upgrading works at the Desa Tun Razak People’s Housing Project (PPR), costing RM9.6 million, have been completed, making it one of 22 out of 61 PPR upgrade projects in the capital completed so far.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh said the project is part of an additional RM300 million approved by the government this year to systematically upgrade all PPRs in Kuala Lumpur.

She said the allocation had been agreed to by all Kuala Lumpur Members of Parliament to ensure comprehensive maintenance works at PPRs, while enhancing the safety and comfort of more than 8,000 residents at the Desa Tun Razak PPR, which has been operating since 1998.

“We do not want maintenance work to be done on an ad hoc basis. We want to have special maintenance fund because it is easy to develop a project, but if there is no provision for maintenance, the safety aspect will be compromised,” she told reporters when inspecting the completed upgrading works at the Desa Tun Razak PPR here today.

She said that among the works carried out were replacing electrical wiring, resurfacing roads and improving fire safety facilities following several fire incidents that occurred at PPR last year.

Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Fadhlun Mak Ujud said that of the RM9.6 million spent on the Desa Tun Razak PPR upgrading project, RM7 million was allocated for repainting works, RM1.68 million for fire prevention systems and electrical wiring upgrades, and nearly RM1 million for road resufrfacing.

He said that the fire riser system and drainage system had also been upgraded.

“We have completed nearly 22 projects and expect all the PPR upgrading projects under the RM300 million allocation to be completed by the end of this year,” he said.

On the parking issue at the Desa Tun Razak PPR, Fadhlun said the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) will identify suitable vacant land to be used as a temporary parking areas to help ease the shortage of parking spaces.

At the same event, Bandar Tun Razak Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail urged residents to take good care of the upgraded facilities to ensure they could be enjoyed over the long term.

She said a culture of safeguarding both public and private property should be fostered so that the government’s efforts to improve public housing facilities would continue to benefit all residents. — Bernama