Structu ral issue: The crack spotted on a rooftop beam of the Menara Umno in Penang.
The owner of Menara Umno has been directed to fix a deep crack found on a rooftop beam or risk the building being closed down.
“The abnormal crack, measuring about 15cm in width and 45cm in length, was detected by Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) officers during an inspection of the building on Friday.
“We will leave it to MPPP to ascertain the seriousness of the crack. If the building is not safe, it will be closed down,” Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said at Komtar yesterday.
Lim added that the cracked beam was facing Macalister Road and the building owner JKP Sdn Bhd had put up a safety net around it.
“But the council is not satisfied with a mere safety net. It is unlikely the concrete beam will drop onto the road but it might fall within the building compound.”
Continue Reading..
MPPP Building Department director Yew Tung Seang said he issued a verbal instruction to JKP’s engineer immediately when the crack was discovered, adding that they had until tomorrow to rectify the problem.
“JKP’s engineer submitted a report on Thursday stating that the overall structure has no problem.
“It has appointed independent body Ikram (Public Works Institute of Malaysia) to carry out a detailed study on the building,” he said.
JKP COO Datuk Adzmi Ariffin said workers were fixing the crack.
“It is not a major problem and it will be fixed by today,” he said yesterday.
