| 28
Penang housing projects abandoned
19/05/1999 BT
Twenty-eight housing projects involving 7,668 houses were
abandoned in Penang between 1997 and 1998, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk
Mohd. Shariff Omar said yesterday.
He said of these, 10 were in Seberang Perai Utara, seven
in Seberang Perai Tengah, 10 in Seberang Perai Selatan and one in the Northeast
District.
In a written reply to Ms Chong Eng (DAP - Batu Lanchang),
he said they involved low- and medium-cost walk-up flats, and low-and medium-cost
houses, five-storey flats, cluster-houses, semi-detached houses, bungalows and
shophouses.
Replying to Lau Chiek Tuan (BN-Berapit) in the Penang State
Assembly, he said the projects became stalled due to economic and management
problems and expiry of building plans.
He said the State Government has applied to the Federal Government
to revive the Abandoned Housing Project Fund so that the house buyers involved
could get their houses in the shortest possible time.
On the 400 units of flats in Rifle Range, which have not
been sold or rented out, Shariff, who is also the State Executive Councillor
for Islam, Housing and Rural Development, said the houses are meant for squatters
affected by the Jelutong Expressway project.
State Executive Councillor for Science, Technology, Human
Resources and Industrial Transformation Datuk Dr Kang Chin Seng said Penang
will experience a 1.6 per cent economic growth next year.
He said the figure was based on the Mid-Term Review of the
Seventh Malaysia Plan while studies by the Socio-Economic Environment Research
Institute has set the State's growth for 1999 at 2.35%.
State Executive Councillor for Trade, Commerce and Consumer
Affairs Datuk Dr Sak Cheng Lum said since barter trade was revived in January
this year, four ships from Myanmar have come to the Barter Trade Center at Weld
Quay.
|
