Friday, June 18, 2010

Pudu Jail wall to be demolished

The wall of Pudu Jail fronting Jalan Pudu will be demolished on Sunday night for the construction of an underpass which is part of a road-widening project to ease congestion in the area.

The project consists of a five-lane tunnel that will be in alignment with Jalan Pudu, while a slip road to access Jalan Changkat Thambi Dollah is also part of the package.

The whole project, to be completed in December 2012, will be carried out in stages and will involve traffic diversions.

It would take three days to demolish about 300m of the wall.

Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Fuad Ismail said the Commissioner of Heritage Malaysia said there had been no objection from them after understanding why the demolition was needed.

“This Pudu Jail area was also not gazetted as heritage,” said Ahmad Fuad during a site visit.

“Of course, there is always the dilemma when it comes to a heritage structure like this,” he said.

Ahmad Fuad said the the underpass was necessary because the congestion in the area had become acute.

Well-laid out: An artist’s impression of how Jalan Pudu and its surrounding areas will look after the roadwidening project is completed.

Also present at the Pudu Jail site visit were Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun, UDA officials and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) officers.

Ahmad Fuad said he hoped, however, that the developer would retain the main gate of the prison.

“We are only using a small part of the wall for the road project and this issue must not be sensationalised,” he said.

He added that Jalan Imbi had become an important area because of another development coming up in Jalan Davis.

Ahmad Fuad said UDA had submitted a mixed development proposal before the road project was planned.

“Although the land is being given to UDA, we have not received any new plan from them,” he added.

Bore piling work will start after the wall is demolished.

A temporary wall has already been built inside the prison area to prevent encroachment and vandalism.

Ahmad Fuad said the project had been delayed for more than a year and its original completion date is March next year.

“Since it involves an underpass, a lot of digging has to be made and utilities removed, coupled with problems over land acquisition. But with the new date being set, I want the contractor and developer to fulfil their promise,” he said.

富都監獄圍墻拆除‧世界最長壁畫‧走入歷史


(吉隆坡)吉隆坡半山芭監獄面向富都區長300呎的圍墻,雖然擁有一幅名列紀錄大全的世界最長壁畫,但由於圖牆沒有被國家遺產局委員會列入保留古跡,近日內將會拆除,以讓路給富都路加寬工程。

不過,國家遺產局委員會建議負責進行綜合發展計劃的UDA控股公司,保留富都監獄大,而市政局也支持國家遺產局委員會這項建議。

【世華‧華人世界】80歲老翁獨守屈原廟,眨眼就過20年!

國家遺產局委員會已在監獄內部拍下詳細錄影片段,但未決定是否要拆除監獄內部建筑物。

料23日完工

吉隆坡市長拿督斯里阿末弗亞披露,市政局將在富都路與漢都亞交界處興建地下通道,為了讓工程順利進行,因此全長300呎的監獄圍墻將在6月20日晚上開始拆除,預計23日就會完成工作。

他補充,一旦圍牆被拆除後,路經此處的公眾也無法看到監獄內部,因為承包商已在拆除的圍墻後方建設另外一道圍墻,以避免監獄在外開放情況下被破壞。

阿末弗亞今日(週四,6月17日)下午前往半山芭監獄旁的工地聆聽承包商匯報工程進展後,在新聞發佈會上如此表示。出席者包括武吉免登國會議員方貴倫、蕉賴國會議員陳國偉和市政局公共工程部主任西蒂莎弗等人。

記者詢及為甚麼不保留壁畫時,他強調,市政局只關注與吉隆坡市民息息相關的道路工程,至於壁畫是否保留,一切交由國家遺產局委員會決定。

他解釋,當圍墻拆除後,富都路地下隧道將階段進行,一旦長達700呎的工程在2012年12月竣工後,車輛即可避開交通燈,通過地下通道直接往返富都路。

吉隆坡半山芭監獄和壁畫背景

吉隆坡半山芭監獄於1895年建竣,占地10公頃,與吉隆坡黃金三角地帶為鄰。

英國殖民地政府是在1891年耗資13萬8000令吉興建,內有6排建筑物,其中包括130個囚室。開始階段只可容納600名犯人,擴建可容納2000名犯人。半山芭監獄是在1996年11月2日搬遷。

半山芭監獄的外墻壁畫是1983年時,由鄺炎章、曾戴登和林金祥花了超過1000個小時繪成。監獄當局花了5000令吉,購買了327桶的漆料;壁畫長達270公尺,創下全最長壁畫的紀錄。

星洲日報‧2010.06.17