Tenants give NHA deadline
Din Daeng flat residents, who are demanding the National Housing Authority (NHA) revise its decision to pull down 20 tenements, said yesterday they need a final answer from the NHA board within five days.
Some 300 tenants gathered in front of the NHA headquarters at 10am yesterday and submitted a letter asking the body to renovate the flats. They cited inspection reports from two engineering agencies that the ageing flats could be repaired and used for another 15 to 20 years, and said they wanted their request met by Tuesday. If there was no decision by then, they would stage a protest at Government House and submit an appeal to the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security. Following a one-hour meeting with representatives of the protesters, NHA governor Pornsak Boonyodom told reporters he would forward their request to the NHA board. In the meantime, no action would be taken regarding the doomed flats, pending further talks with residents. Pornsak said he and NHA officials would visit residents from 6pm to 9pm for 10 days starting next week, while repairmen would be sent to fix parts of the flats. Insisting that the NHA board wanted to reconstruct the ageing flats due to safety concerns, Pornsak affirmed that NHA was not trying to seek a financial profit from selling off the property. Earlier, Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva joined a meeting with Social Development and Human Security Minister Paiboon Wattanasiritham, his deputy Poldej Pinpratheep and NHA governor Pornsak to discuss the issue.
|
