Task force to help builders
The Star 15/9/2006

ALOR STAR: A special task force will be set up to help developers and to identify loopholes in the housing industry.

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said the task force would involve the Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association (Rehda), lo-cal authorities and the state Land and Minerals Department.

He said it would be led by the state housing department.

“It will look into problems faced by developers and brief them on the state’s housing rules and regulations,” he told newsmen after opening the state-level Malaysia Property Expo (Mapex) 2006, here, yesterday.

The four-day expo offers for sale 4,055 units of property worth RM675mil. The expo held at the Star Parade Shopping Complex here ends on Sunday.

The expo is organised by Rehda Kedah/Perlis branch. It is also being held in Kulim.

Mahdzir said the decision to set up the task force was prompted by problems faced by developers in the state who could not sell their houses, especially low-cost units.

He said Rehda had informed him that 5,000 low-cost houses in Kedah could not be sold as the locations were not suitable.

“Most of the developers build low-cost houses on the outskirts of the town,” he said.

Rehda Kedah/Perlis branch chairman Ricque Liew said 22,000 units of low-cost houses were built be-tween 1996 and 2006.

He said this year, Mapex was offering for sale 7,698 houses worth more than RM1.2bil.