SIXTY participants from various government agencies took part in a workshop on the Amendment of the Uniform Building By-Laws 1984 (UBBL 1984) Amendment 2021 at Cititel in Penang today.
Penang State Secretariat Office under secretary Nur Aishah Md Norodin said the one-day seminar, organised by the state Local Government Division, was to get feedback from the participants before a report is forwarded to the state executive council for approval.
She said the participants were mostly from the Fire and Rescue Department, Penang Island City Council (MBPP), Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP), Public Works Department, Construction Industry Development Board and PLANMalaysia.
“One of the issues to be discussed is fire safety. The second is to focus on the industrialised building system (IBS). We have to consider various things, including the cost factor,” Nur Aishah told reporters.
Citing an example, she said now that the state has enforced fibre optic installation as a basic utility for new buildings, developers may have to get verification not only from consultants but also from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) before the issuance of the Certificate of Completion and Compliance (CCC).
She said they hoped to submit the report to the state exco in March and target for it to be gazetted in June.
State Fire and Rescue Department director Saadon Mokhtar, who was also present, said they need to take into consideration fire safety, especially for tall buildings.
“In the past, the maximum height for a building structure is 120 metres. Nowadays, many buildings are even taller, hence the necessity to amend the by-laws,” Saadon said.
State Local Government, Housing, Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh, who officiated the workshop, said it was very important to increase fire safety measures for all types of housing schemes.
He said he was happy to note that Penang, which is the third state in the country to have the highest number of buildings in the country, has been embracing the IBS and green building concept.
“This is all in line with our state’s Penang 2030 vision for a Family-focused Green and Smart State that Inspires the Nation,” Jagdeep said in his speech.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Noor Siti Nabilah Noorazis