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Vacant flats
may be sold and not left to rot
15/05/2009 The
Star By YIP YOKE TENG and NADIYA AMALINA SAPTARI
INSTEAD of being left to rot, vacant units at Public Housing Project (PPR)
flats in Selangor may be available for sale in three months.
State Housing, Building Management and Squatters Committee chairman
Iskandar Abdul Samad said the state had discussed with the Housing and
Local Government Ministry on the matter and the latter had agreed in
principle.
The flats were built by the ministry on state-owned land.
“Offering the vacant units to interested buyers will be able to alleviate
the many problems created like vandalism and burglary and will prevent the
vacant units from becoming a haunt for drug addicts and petty thieves,” he
said during a site visit to PPR Lembah Subang 1 in Petaling Jaya recently.
PPR Lembah Subang 1 consists of 3,004 units, 517 of which are vacant.
Levels 11 to 17 are deserted and the overall state of the flats is
deplorable.
Other PPRs located in Serendah, Kampung Baru Hicom and Kota Damansara face
the same problem.
“Discussions are in progress to work out the mechanism on how to sell the
units, which will likely be priced at around RM42,000. We hope to make the
units available within three months,” he said.
Iskandar said the federal government had allocated RM200mil for the
refurbishment of PPR flats in the country and he hoped Selangor would soon
receive the funds.
He said the state had also planned to make use of the empty space for
community programmes such as old folks’ home while non-governmental
organisations were encouraged to enliven the area.
“These flats are strategically located but relatively inaccessible by
public transport.
“We suggest having an LRT station in the area while the local council can
also consider providing feeder bus services,” he said, adding that the
area’s population could easily exceed 10,000.
“Putting the units up for sale can instill a sense of belonging in the
residents, which will eventually improve the residents’ living condition,”
he added.
Meanwhile, the perennial question of when the 1,580 units of PPR Lembah
Subang 2 would be open for occupation should be answered in a month.
The flats have been left vacant for at least two years but had not
received Certificate of Fitness for Occupation (CFs) from the Petaling
Jaya City Council (MBPJ) due to concerns over safety and stability as the
site was a former landfill.
“The Selangor Economic Action Council (MTES) will discuss in detail the
assessment report by Universiti Malaya which suggested several measures to
be carried out to ensure that the place is safe for habitation,” Iskandar
said.
According to him, the report highlighted the possible health risks of gas
emissions from the ground and among the measures recommended was the
replacement of a layer of soil.
“We know affordable houses are in high demand but we cannot compromise on
safety.
“If the MTES feels it is not suitable for habitation, we will not allow
residents to move in and will decide on the future of the site,” he added.
He also directed the MBPJ to conduct checks on the condition of the nearby
terrace houses that were showing signs of cracking and sinking.
It was reported earlier in StarMetro that the terrace houses were all
built on compressed garbage with only 15cm of soil in between.
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