THE state government should clarify whether it plans to give or sell the 0.83ha (2.06 acre) plot of land in Mak Mandin for the relocation of 70 squatter families from Rumah Hijau Mak Mandin.
Barisan Nasional’s Bagan constituency co-ordinator David Chua said several mainstream newspapers had quoted Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng on July 4 as saying that the state had identified a piece of land in Jalan Mak Mandin 5 for the construction of replacement flat units for the affected families.
He said Guan Eng also said that he hoped the Federal Government would quickly approve a grant for the construction of affordable housing units there.
“However, in the July 16-31 edition of the state government’s Buletin Mutiara, it was reported that the state was offering the piece of land for the Federal Government to buy and build 300 units of flats for the residents.
“We are a little confused by the Buletin Mutiara report,” he told reporters at the Bagan MCA division office in Jalan Kampung Benggali, Butterworth, yesterday.
Chua, who is also Bagan MCA Youth chief, said if the state government was sincere in wanting to help the Rumah Hijau residents, why did it only decide to find a piece of land for their relocation after four years of coming into power in Penang.
Seeking clarification: Chua (second left) with Bagan MCA vice-chairman Sum Yoo Keong and Bagan MCA members holding copies of Buletin Mutiara reports and other related documents during the press conference
He also urged the state government to provide the necessary contour plan for the land to the National Housing Department so that an architect could be appointed to start working on the replacement flat’s design.
On another matter, Chua called on Guan Eng to provide low-cost housing units from the state’s People’s Housing Project (PPR) in Ampang Jajar, Seberang Prai, to some 11 squatter families who face eviction in Kampung Federal, off Jalan Siram here.
Chua also criticised the state for not having any plans to build low-cost housing units within the Bagan parliamentary constituency.
State Town and Country Planning, Housing and Arts Committee chairman Wong Hon Wai said Lim, in a letter to Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung dated June 21, had said that the state agreed to allocate a piece of land for the relocation of the squatters.
“The chief minister also threw an offer to the Federal Government to consider buying up the particular piece of land.
“So, the ball is in the Federal Government’s court. The state did not impose any specific condition that the Federal Government must buy the piece of land,” he said.
State executive councillor Lim Hock Seng, who is also Bagan Jermal assemblyman, said the state had already submitted a location plan of the piece of land to the National Housing Department.
“We are willing to provide further assistance to whatever information and details that is required by the department to expedite the construction of the flats,” he said, adding that the residents there had already waited for more than 40 years for their problem to be resolved.
On the Kampung Federal issue, Hock Seng said the state could consider offering low-cost units to the 11 families in the same flat block as the one proposed for the Rumah Hijau squatters, provided they were willing to move into high-rise flats.
-The Star-
No comments:
Post a Comment