CITY HALL will step up efforts to maintain the covered drains under its jurisdiction and is keeping tabs on the goings-on at a convenience store in one part of the State Capital to ensure that the owner looks after the well-being of his/ her patrons.
This follows concerns about the safety hazards posed by “a hole” in a pavement, built over a drain behind Block B of the Segama shophouses, as well as the elevated section emerging from the floor in a shop at the Api-Api Centre.
A Kota Kinabalu office worker spoke out about damaged section of the five-footway along Jalan Padas.
She wanted to ensure that no one going on foot injured themselves if they unwittingly stepped into the exposed section of the walkway there.
A Papar resident, meanwhile, bemoaned the dangers posed by the obstruction in one of the aisles of the shop, off Lorong Api-Api 1, after she tripped and fell inside.
She was told that an expectant mother had earlier taken a tumble, when she pointed out the danger to the shop attendant.
Both individuals provided Hotline with the location of these “danger spots” which were forwarded to the agency.
A City Hall spokesman said Engineering Department staff confirmed that part of the concrete for the walkway in the Segama area had given way, during a check which was made shortly after the agency was contacted by the media.
“The hole was immediately covered with a piece of plywood,” he said.
“Some security tape was affixed to the surface of this temporary cover to caution pedestrians against stepping on the damaged section.”
He said two of the agency’s technicians returned more than a month later to have the affected section of the pavement rebuilt.
When asked about the lengthy hold up in dealing with this problem, he said the team which dealt with such irregularities had been caught dealing with similar problems elsewhere in City Hall’s rating-area
He explained that maintenance was carried out on the pavements, including metal grills and concrete slabs, placed over the drains around the City on an ad hoc basis.
“This work is carried out when it warrants doing so. To this end, our staff have been asked to make periodic checks of the common areas around the shophouses in Segama to ensure that the pavements are in good order.”
In the case of the convenience store in the Api-Api area, a spokesman for the agency’s Building Control Department said the owner had taken steps to forewarn customers about the elevated section of the floor in one part of his/ her premises.
He an inspection was made of the shop, a few days after it learned about what had transpired there.
He said a representative from management company (MC) for the commercial centre, where the convenience store was located, was present during this check.
“Our personnel noted the presence of a rectangular slab, projecting up from floor between some shelves,” he said.
“The slab reached up to one’s calves and there was barely enough room for anyone to walk around it.”
To make matters worse, he said, it was easy for first-time patrons to miss this obstruction as both the floor and the slab were covered in the same dark tiles.
“We were made to understand that that the previous tenant had been a money-changer who had built this elevation for his/ her safes. The MC staff informed our staff that the present occupant had moved in without renovating the premises.
“The new tenant was apparently reluctant to remove the slab now because of the amount of dust which would be stirred up by doing this.”
He said the agency’s personnel spoke to an employee, whom he met at the time, about these developments.
“This individual was asked to have a word with his/ her employer about having some security tape affixed to the periphery of the slab. The store attendant agreed to do this. We hope that this will enable shoppers to better make out the obstruction which lies in their path.”
The spokesman said a follow-up inspection was carried out more than a fortnight later.
“During this check, that some red-tape, in the form of an ‘X’, had been affixed to the surface of the protrusion to alert shoppers to either step over or go round the obstruction."
