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Negligent
developers may face blacklisting
The Star Penang 22/6/2004 By ANG SEE RENE
PENANG may consider blacklisting low-cost housing
project developers who do not adhere to stipulated guidelines,
warned state housing committee chairman Syed Ameruddin Syed Ahmad.
He said developers who might face such action were those whose
projects had inferior finishing which could be a burden to buyers.
“If they make people suffer, we will make them suffer as well,” he
said after handing over deposit refunds to purchasers of the Seri
Semarak low-medium-cost flats in Bandar Baru Air Itam recently.
He said a special technical committee would be studying the
‘outdated’ housing guidelines for developers, in use for more than
25 years.
He said the committee would be meeting on Thurs-day to evaluate the
guidelines and a proposal submitted by the Real Estate and Housing
Developers Associa-tion Malaysia.
Speaking at the refund ceremony, he commended Seri Semarak’s
developer, Asia Green Development Sdn Bhd, for giving a refund to
purchasers.
“Never before in local housing history has a developer willingly
refunded the initial 10% deposit to purchasers and I hope this will
be an example for other developers to follow,” he said.
Syed Ameruddin said Asia Green was also the first developer in the
state to have a showroom for low-cost units, which would ensure
buyers of the quality which they could expect upon completion.
Asia Green took over the Seri Semarak low-medium cost housing
project last year, after two developers had abandoned it in 1997.
The RM134mil project consists of 490 low-medium cost units and 826
luxury apartments.
Managing director Tan Boon Huat said a total of RM450,000 was
refunded to 86 low-medium cost unit buyers who had chosen not to go
ahead with their purchase of their units.
“As a responsible company, we want to be fair to the buyers who had
suffered losses.
“This is our sincere gesture in refunding the money which they had
paid to the previous developers who had abandoned the project,” he
said, adding that the project was due to be completed by 2005 |
