TWO lifts at Pangsapuri Topaz in Paya Terubong have undergone upgrading works to improve residents’ safety, accessibility and daily convenience.
The project was funded through the Penang Maximum 80% Maintenance Fund (TPM80PP), which provides financial assistance for the repair and upgrading of essential facilities in high-rise residential buildings.
The scheme helps management bodies address ageing or damaged infrastructure with support from the Penang government, contributing to safer and better-maintained living environments.
Pangsapuri Topaz is a 13-storey residential development that is more than 30 years old and houses a high-density community. With elderly residents, children and persons with mobility challenges among its occupants, reliable lifts and other shared facilities are essential for daily access and mobility.
Paya Terubong assemblyman Wong Hon Wai said the lift upgrading project was not merely about improving residential facilities, but also about safeguarding residents and reducing the risk of lift-related incidents.
“Upgrading ageing lifts is not merely about improving residential facilities; it is also a preventive measure to safeguard residents’ daily access and mobility. It helps reduce safety hazards and the risk of residents becoming trapped due to lift malfunctions, while addressing the need for more accessible facilities in an ageing community,” he said.
Wong said he had initiated the policy during his first tenure as Penang state executive councillor in charge of housing from 2008 to 2013. He submitted and championed the policy paper, which was subsequently approved by the Penang State Executive Council.
The two-lift upgrading project cost RM237,160, of which the state government covered 80%, or RM189,728. The Pangsapuri Topaz Management Committee contributed the remaining 20%, amounting to RM47,432.
Wong said that from the scheme’s inception in 2008 to May 10, 2026, TPM80PP had channelled RM99.42 million towards 1,049 maintenance projects across Penang.
Of these, 556 involved upgrading works, making them the largest category of projects funded under the scheme.
“These figures demonstrate the state government’s sustained attention to the basic needs and residential safety of high-rise communities. Through a structured maintenance funding mechanism, the scheme helps address ageing and deteriorating shared facilities and progressively improve the overall living environment and quality of life for residents,” Wong said.
He added that his office had also assisted other flats and condominiums in Paya Terubong in applying for TPM80PP funding, with several projects approved in recent years.
“In total, the Penang government has allocated more than RM1.15 million through TPM80PP to support lift maintenance and upgrading works at several residential developments in Paya Terubong in recent years.
“This reflects the state government’s continued commitment to improving shared residential facilities and enhancing residents’ living conditions and quality of life,” he said.
The TPM80PP scheme will continue to provide financial assistance for essential repairs and upgrading works in high-rise residential developments across Penang.
Pix courtesy of the state Tourism and Creative Economy Office (Petace)