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Monday October 25, 2010
Scrap metal collectors get shelter
KUALA LUMPUR: The predicament of homeless scrap metal collectors who have been living under a flyover ended after they received temporary shelter at a youth hostel. Umno Youth community and complaints bureau head Datuk Mohd Khairun Aseh said efforts are underway to obtain low-cost homes for them. The couple, Hazmain Abdul Jalil, 28, and his wife Siti Faezah Abu Bakar, 27, live with two others, Chan Chee Wai, 44, and Mohd Hafiz Abdul Aziz, 30, under a flyover located at a slip road near Bandar Tasik Permaisuri in Cheras. The couple had to move out of an abandoned house in Sungai Besi with their 17-month-old infant, Siti Noor Rafidah, four months ago and have been living under the flyover ever since. “Our neighbours looked down on us because of the way I earn a living,” said Hazmain.
In dire state: Hazmain with Siti and their 17-month-old daughter Rafidah under the flyover near Bandar Permaisuri, Cheras. Looking on are (from left) Chan and Mohd Hafiz.
The couple’s bed is made out of plywood planks. They have constructed a kitchen and a covered shower area. Asked how he and his family ended up under the flyover, Hazmain said Chan and Mohd Hafiz invited them. The couple, as well as Chan and Mohd Hafiz, were taken to a youth hostel in Wisma Belia, Jalan Syed Putra by the Umno youth delegation which had earlier treated them to a nasi lemak breakfast.
Mohd Khairun said the bureau will help the couple to get a birth certificate for their daughter, who he said was suffering from health problems because of the living conditions. The bureau has also received a pledge from the Federal Territories and Urban Well-being Ministry to allocate them a flat.
