SIBU: The Sibu Water Board (SWB) and Sarawak Electricity Supply Corporation (Sesco) have been told not to connect water and electricity supply to newly built residential houses or shophouses before the issuance of an occupation permit (OP) by the Sibu Municipal Council (SMC).

Councillor Robert Lau Hui Yew, who is a member of SMC’s Building Control and Town Beautification Standing Committee, said so far the water board and Sesco had been working as independent bodies.

“In the past few years, the council had organised dialogues with the water board and Sesco, and we had actually reached a verbal agreement to only supply water and electricity after SMC had issued the occupation permit,” Lau said at a press conference here.

He said in the interest of the public, this verbal agreement should become official.

“I hope housing developers and house owners will also support this move.”

Lau said this when answering questions from reporters who asked him if the house belonging to murder victim Ling Tong Hock had been issued with the occupation permit.

It was understood that Ling had moved into the house in 2008.

SMC architect Abu Bakar Sepawi confirmed that a few blocks of houses, including the unit of terraced house owned by Ling, had not been issued with the permit because there were still problems with the engineering plans and that the building plans were still undergoing amendments.

“Under normal procedure, we should satisfy ourselves by going to the site to check if everything is done in accordance with the approved building plan and the approved land before we issue the occupation permit,” Abu Bakar explained.

He added that a support letter from the Fire and Rescue Department was also required.

Abu Bakar said a solid partition wall which served as a fire breaker in the attic was compulsory in any linked residential houses and shophouses under the council’s building by-law.

Meanwhile, SMC deputy chairman Daniel Ngieng said in their eagerness and haste to move into their new houses, many owners did not bother to wait for the developers to obtain the occupation permit.

Ngieng said it was illegal to stay in a house without the permit and SMC had the authority to evict the occupants.

“But is that what the people want? I am sure society would not like us to do that,” Ngieng said.

He said the public should look at the recent murder of Ling, his two young children and mother in a proper perspective.

“We should look at the real issue why this crime has happened. Crimes can be committed in any unsuspecting places by someone who is socially and emotionally sick,” Ngieng stressed.

However, he was quick to clarify that by saying this he did not mean the council had deviated from its responsibility to safeguard public interests and to ensure all rules and regulations were complied with.

To another question as to why the council had started collecting rates from Ling if his house was not fit for occupation, Ngieng explained that the rates were collected in lieu of the services provided, such as garbage collection, grass cutting, clearing of drains and provision of street lights.

http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?sec=sarawak&file=/2012/1/11/sarawak/10238559