KUCHING: Residents of Rumah Sri Kenangan (RSK) Kuching had to be relocated temporarily as the construction work on the new building is being revised by the Public Works Department (JKR), says Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Children Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah.
Work on the RSK in Kuching began in 2012 and was expected to be completed in 2015 but was not finished due to issues with the contractor.
“The JKR is revising the project as there is a problem with the contractor, who could not get the work done,” she told the press after an Arts and Music Therapy programme here yesterday.
She said the contractor was given an extension to complete the project but still could not do so.
“Right now, the contractor has been relieved from work as we are now looking to hire a new one to get the job done.”
Noting that parts of the project had been completed, she added, “But the challenge right now is to improve those parts as it is an abandoned building. Therefore, it needs to be cleaned and checked for anything harmful such as bee hives and others.
“That is why we had to relocate the residents temporarily to the Samarahan rehabilitation centre, and in Sibu, we had to relocate the residents temporarily to the Sri Aman children’s home.
“We are also constructing a new RSK in Sibu. Therefore, the old building there will be demolished,” she explained.
Fatimah said the RSK could only house senior citizens aged 65 years old and above while the homeless were housed in another building called Desa Bina Diri, located in Kota Samarahan near here.
The cost of these projects was under discussion as both were still being revised, she added.
