Ministry to collect more details on abandoned projects
The Sun 20/03/2001

The Housing and Local Government Ministry plans to collect first-hand reports from housebuyers affected by abandoned housing projects nationwide.

Its deputy minister, Datuk M. Kayveas, said today “we want to have the human touch and understand the problems directly, instead of just seeing statistics for abandoned projects”.

“We want to know first-hand more details of the seriousness and the magnitude of abandoned projects and the causes for such situations,” he said.

The matter will be discussed with the minister, Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting, before an action plan is implemented.

Kayveas said this when asked what was being about the numerous housing projects abandoned in Perak, some for as long as 10 years.

Many of the affected house-buyers cannot get redress as the developers of some of the abandoned projects have political links, according to some buyers.

Kayveas said the ministry does not differentiate between “political” and “non-political” projects when its comes to taking action against errant developers.

The ministry has always given priority to solving the problems of the housebuyers, he said.

However, he wants the affected housebuyers to provide details of the developers, the landowners and the sites of the development for the ministry to take appropriate action.

Kayveas, who is also the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) president, opened the perty’s Bukit Gantang division office here yesterday.

On complaints that some co-operatives had abandoned their housing projects, he said the laws governing the cooperatives have to be tightened.

His ministry will work closely with the Land and Cooperative Development Ministry to solve the public housing problems, Kayveas said.