BN asks Penang govt who's paying for land?

by S. Arulldas

Location: 

BUTTERWORTH

THE state government has been asked to clarify whether the land allocated for the Rumah Hijau longhouse residents in Mak Mandin for low-cost homes is under the state's expense or if the National Housing Department (NHD) is paying for it.

Penang Barisan Nasional (BN) treasurer David Chua said that state executive councillor and Bagan Jermal assemblyman Lim Hock Seng had issued contradictory statements on the matter in the state's official monthly newsletter Bulletin Mutiara.

"First, he said the state is allocating the 0.082ha site land on Jalan Mak Mandin for free and then he said the NHD will have to pay it," Chua, who is also the Bagan MCA Youth head, told reporters.

He said the state had initially agreed to give a piece of state land for free to allow the department to build low-cost flat units to the affected residents.

Chua said it was understood that the state should provide a piece of land for the NHD to build low-cost flats for the affected 70 families.

The families will soon have to vacate their homes when a private development project starts.

Chua also wants Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who is also the MP for Bagan, to explain why he had asked the department to build 300 low-cost units there when there were only 70 families left in the area.

State Housing Committee chairman Wong Hon Wei and Hock Seng could not be reached for comments.