Tg Aru flat tenants evicted for their safety: Sabah housing board

KOTA KINABALU – Despite strong objections, tenants at the Tg Aru flats will be evicted for their safety, said the Sabah Housing and Town Development Board (LPPB).

LPPB chairman Datuk Masiung Banah said the over 50-years-old flats have become unsafe and it is best for the 300 households to move out before anything untoward happens.

“We do not want anything untoward to happen to the tenants and LPPB would be blamed for them.

“The decision to evict residents is not mine alone and it comes after the evaluation and advice of the Public Works Department and LPPB management,” he told residents during a meeting today.

However, he said LPPB cannot meet the tenants’ demands, such as asking for new housing to be built for them before their relocation.

He added that he cannot do anything if the tenants rejected LPPB’s offer to move into another LPPB-owned building but advised them to relocate to nearby areas.

Masiung said there will be no further extension for the tenants and that LPPB will no longer collect rent until the eviction deadline expires.

LPPB, which is the building’s owner, started the eviction process last year, including by issuing relocation notices, but was met with objections.

The tenants were initially given until the end of last year to relocate. LPPB had also been accused of not performing maintenance for the building for the last 16 years. – The Vibes, January 25, 2022