Errant builders lose low-cost housing land
THE STAR  20/11/2003

SHAH ALAM: Three developers who failed to implement low--cost housing projects have had their land confiscated by the Selangor government.

The state assembly was told yesterday that these developers had failed to undertake the projects due to financial constraints.

State Housing and Local Government Committee chairman Datuk Mokhtar Dahalan said the land confiscated were located in the Gombak, Petaling and Ampang districts.

The move, he added, showed that the state was serious in acting against errant developers.

"We have introduced various steps including creating a 'green lane' or fast-tract procedures for developers so that they will be efficient in carrying out low-cost schemes.

"The government has also provided other incentives to encourage developers to build more low-cost homes in the state," he said in response to a question from Wong Sai Hou (BN - Kampung Tunku) on the state's success in resolving the squatter problem.

Mokhtar also said 13 other developers were unable to implement low-cost housing projects in the state due to technical problems.

Earlier, he said the state would be spending a total of RM300mil on subsidies for low--cost homes as it provided another RM7,000 for every unit of low-cost home sold at RM35,000 to poor people and squatters.

Mokhtar said Selangor had only 20,000 squatter families now compared to 43,000 in 1998.

He said the state had demolished 17,368 squatter homes so far in a move to provide permanent homes for the occupants.

"This is in line with the state government's vision of achieving zero squatters by 2005," he said.

Mokhtar said 23,000 families had been provided with low--cost homes or relocated to temporary settlements to date.