Mayor: MBKS to inspect if residential buildings comply with housing regulations, by-laws in 2024

KUCHING (Dec 16): The Kuching South City Council (MBKS) will be inspecting the compliance of residential buildings with the relevant housing regulations and by-laws next year, said Dato Wee Hong Seng.

The Kuching South mayor said this will be carried out in joint operations with the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) and the Land and Survey Department.

He said there have been cases of house owners building illegal partitions to transform their building into a lodging house with over 10 sub-divided rooms.

“In a residential area, please make sure you don’t turn your house into a lodging house. For example, illegally constructing 15 rooms in a semi-detached building,” he said when officiating a fire awareness and prevention campaign at the Mayor Song Swee Guan Park at Tabuan Jaya here today.

Wee said the council will also work with Sarawak Energy Berhad to visit and inspect old shophouses in the city to ensure the buildings are safe from fire hazards as well as determine any need for rewiring.

“I hope for those old residential buildings or shophouses to go through a rewiring if possible or get in touch with a Sarawak Energy-approved company technician to check whether the wires are in order,” he said.

Wee also warned owners against constructing illegal extensions to their buildings without prior approval from local authorities and Bomba.

On a separate note, he commended Bomba personnel who always go beyond their call of duty to serve the local community, be it putting out fires or assisting in natural disasters.