KUALA LUMPUR: Thousands of residents who live at five of the People's Housing Projects (PPR) residential blocks at Seri Semarak here are facing a difficult time whenever they go in or out of their homes because of lifts that break down very often.
Faulty lifts have adversely affected the daily activities, itineraries and movements of the residents, especially senior citizens, people with disabilities (PwD) and students.
A resident, M Thanaletchumi, 48, said that the lifts at Block D break down very often not because the lifts are old and dilapidated as even the new lifts cannot be relied on.
"We thought that with the new lifts things would be better but barely five minutes of being in operation, the lift gets stuck and even descends suddenly.
"What makes things worse is when we press the button for the third floor, the lift keeps going up and only comes to a stop at the 17th floor.
"There was an instance where there was a death and at the time all the lifts were faulty, so it was difficult to bring the remains down. There have also been cases where senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PwD) could not make it up even to the first floor and they relied on help and assistance from neighbours to go up.
"In fact, there are senior citizens who ended up missing their hospital appointments and check-ups because of the defective lifts.
"We have been severely impacted and we are very frustrated and disappointed with the services of the lift contractor, so we are hoping that KL City Hall can address and resolve the issue immediately," said Thanaletchumi.
The Seri Semarak PPR residents association chairman, Azmi Abdul Aziz said that the lifts break down quite often since about early this year and it has proven to be a hindrance and troublesome especially in the event of emergencies.
Azmi said that all the 17-storey blocks at PPR Seri Semarak (blocks B, C, D, E, F) face the same issue which are lifts that break down and that do not function.
"There are times where in one block there are three lifts that have broken down all at the same time. Pity the young children going to school and the senior citizens.
"What is even more depressing is when there is an emergency, the movement of patients by the ambulance attendants and medical officers is restricted and becomes an arduous task because the patient has to be brought down using the stairs.
"The lift issue at PPRs is not something new. KL City Hall has in the past taken action by replacing the old lifts with new ones.
"However, even the new lifts end up getting faulty quite frequently and it is not because of acts of vandalism, it just breaks down all of a sudden," he said.
Azmi said that they have lodged complaints with KL City Hall and the appointed contractor technician.
"Every day we complain to the contractor when the lifts get faulty but they are slow to react.
"After just two hours of being repaired the lifts don't function properly again. So we are hoping that new lifts of a much higher quality are installed immediately, apart from ensuring that existing lifts function well," he said.
Army retiree Tajudin Ariffin Che Mat Din, 71, who is the residents' head for Block F, also expressed his utter dismay as he revealed he has to climb up and down the stairs so frequently because of the lift problem. At his age his legs have swelled up and he has been unable to walk
for days, he said.
"We cannot live like this any longer. If possible, those who are higher up should help to address the lift problem at PPR Seri Semarak because the contractor company appointed by KL City Hall has failed to do so.
"We have complained so many times already to the company that is supposed to maintain the lifts but we are left disappointed and frustrated because this issue persists and has not been
resolved," he said.