PENANG will ask state local authorities to help purchasers of the stalled Taman Terubong Indah (Majestic Heights) Phase 1 to revive the project.

Paya Terubong assemblyman Dr Loh Hock Hun said the Penang Municipal Council, Public Works Department and the Penang Water Supply Corporation would be asked to waive development contributions amounting to RM3.62mil.

Dr Loh said he had highlighted the proposal by the purchasers to the state government to waive the contributions during the state executive council meeting.

Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, he added, was fully aware of the issue.

Dr Loh said many departments were involved, and each had their own regulations and procedures for the developers to comply with.

Dr Loh was commenting on a statement by the housebuyers ad-hoc committee chairman B.H. Lim on March 4. Lim had said that the purchasers were still waiting for an answer from the state government on the waiving of contributions.

Lim had said that work to revive the project was supposed to begin this month but they could not proceed without an answer from the state.

The cost of reviving the project is estimated atRM15.5mil but could be reduced to RM9.8mil if the state agreed to waive the RM3.62mil in contributions for services and the RM1.15mil in shared costs.

If the additional costs were waived, the 1,557 buyers would need to fork out about RM6,300 each instead of RM9,600.

Launched in 1995, the Majestic Heights project, consisting of 2,955 housing units (grouped under Phases 1, 2A, 2B and 3A), 55 shoplots and 22 light industrial units, is the country’s largest single abandoned housing project.