SHAH ALAM, Sept 9 — Zoning restrictions, safety regulations, and local sensitivities prevent the Intekma Resort and Convention Centre (IRCC) in Seksyen 7 here from being converted into Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) student hostels.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir said the IRCC — a three-star, five-storey apartment hotel owned by UiTM since March 20, 1997 — has been designated under commercial use in Shah Alam City Council’s Local Plan (Amendment 3) 2020.
He added that a study by UiTM's Investment Committee in April 2025 also found the proposal unsuitable, citing violations of the building’s Certificate of Fitness for Occupation (CFO), fire safety regulations, and sensitivities of the surrounding community.
“UiTM is currently in the process of finding tenants who can collaborate with the university to operate Intekma commercially in line with the local authority regulations.
“Additionally, the Hotel and Tourism Management Faculty has been tasked with preparing a proposal to turn the UiTM Hotel and Intekma into a teaching hotel,” he said in a written parliamentary reply dated yesterday.
Zambry said this in response to a question from Senator Datuk Salehuddin Saidin on steps being taken by the government to restore the long-abandoned resort and whether it could be repurposed as student accommodation for UiTM students struggling to secure rental housing.
In January 2019, UiTM Holdings Sdn Bhd confirmed it was ceasing all services and hospitality operations at IRCC, citing operational and financial difficulties over the past few years.
