Public housing in KL for sale
02/06/2007 The Star By Sim Leoi Leoi and Ng Cheng Yee

KUALA LUMPUR: The Cabinet has decided that it will sell 15,007 units built under the public housing project (Projek Perumahan Rakyat) to deserving city folk here at RM35,000 each.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the Cabinet decision last Wednesday “shows that the Government cares about providing affordable housing for the people, otherwise we won’t be doing this.”

“City Hall will be implementing this project according to the conditions set down for the purchase of these units,” he announced in his speech at a working visit to the Intan Baiduri PPR housing here yesterday.

Each unit will be built have three bedrooms and two bathrooms, and measure around 60.4sq metres, Abdullah said, adding that these would be larger than those previously provided for rent by City Hall.

“We are giving more at a cheaper price,” he stressed.

At present, under the public housing project aimed at reducing Kuala Lumpur's squatters, each unit was being rented out at RM124 per month.

Abdullah said that by last month, City Hall had completed and handed over 19,914 units to the Housing and Local Government Ministry, adding that 12,848 more units will be ready by the end of the year.

“In total, the Government has approved and completed 24 public housing projects with 32,762 units,” he said.

Abdullah said urban residents provided with such housing should take care to maintain their units and ensure that the surrounding areas remained pristine and beautiful.

“For those who cannot afford it, the Government has allocated RM28mil for the maintenance of these units as well as RM7mil (more) to keep the surrounding areas clean,” he said, adding that despite this there continued to be people who persisted in scribbling graffiti in lifts.

Abdullah said that it was a waste to spend money in removing graffiti when it could have been channelled to other more beneficial projects.

Federal Territories Minister Datuk Zulhasnan Rafique said that a comprehensive study would be carried out on Kuala Lumpur City Hall housing with one or two rooms, before a report is submitted to the Cabinet by this year on how to manage these buildings.

“This will include building additional rooms in these buildings and introducing urban redevelopment schemes. After the report is submitted to the Cabinet, it will decide whether to rent or sell these flats,” he said after accompanying the Prime Minister to five road project sites in Cheras yesterday.

He said that there were plans to add an extra bedroom to one- and two-bedroom flats, which were mostly more than 25 years old, to accommodate more people as most families were “growing bigger and bigger.”