Shahrizat: Errant developers delay squatter relocation

The Star 27/09/2001 By Dalilah Ibrahim 

ERRANT developers who fail to carry out low-cost and middle-cost housing projects for the relocation of squatters have been told to give back the projects to the Government.

Women and Family Development Minister Datuk Shahrizat Jalil said the failure of certain developers to complete the projects had caused problems for the government in carrying out its squatters’ relocation programmes and delayed the development it wanted to bring to the people.

Shahrizat, who is the Lembah Pantai MP, said although the squatters in the constituency had been relocated in stages, many could not be relocated since the houses were not ready.

''If the developers, who have signed agreements with the Government, feel that they are not able to carry on with the projects, they should give them back to the Government,'' she said at a meet-the-people session at Kampung Bukit Putra Indah.

To a question, she said there were at least three errant developers in her constituency who failed to carry out the low- cost and middle-cost housing projects.

''It is not that the Government is not doing anything to solve the squatter problems,'' she said, adding that the developers gave financial problems as their excuse for not carrying out the projects.

She said another problem faced by the government in relocating squatters was disagreements among the people to get a consensus on the compensation.

Shahrizat said the Mten low-cost project in Kampung Pantai, which would be ready in two years, could accommodate 1,896 families.

''Although under the programme, the houses would be rented out, we will take it up to the Government so that the people could buy the houses,'' she said.