PM Wants Developers To Use IBS To Speed Up Public Housing Projects
The Star 15/8/2006

JOHOR BAHARU, Aug 15 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Tuesday called on public housing project developers to adopt the "Industrial Building System" (IBS) to ensure that these projects are completed on time and the houses delivered to the buyers as soon as possible.

The Prime Minister said the IBS could ensure satisfactory quality of the houses because the building materials were prepared in advance at the factory and the construction cost could also be controlled.

"The government wants the IBS to be adopted so that affordable public housing can be completed speedily and buyers can move into their new homes without any delay.

"The system can also control prices of building materials at a reasonable level and at the same time maintain satisfactory quality," he said at a ceremony to hand over the house-keys for Taman Desa Rakyat Perdana, which was formerly an abandoned project, near Masai.

Also present were Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting and chairman of Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad, Datuk Azian Osman.

Abdullah said it was the government's policy to see that every one owned a house or were able to rent it at a reasonable rate.

Meanwhile in his speech, Ong said the Prime Minister, despite having a busy schedule, was always concerned about the progress of affordable housing projects and wanted them to be completed on schedule.

"Pak Lah always asks me about the public housing projects and he doesn't want the buyers to be kept waiting for their house," he said.

Ong, who is also MCA president, said the Taman Desa Rakyat Perdana housing project was abandoned after the developer, who was undertaking the project on behalf of Kumpulan Prasarana Rakyat Johor (KPRJ), failed to complete it due to the economic slowdown in 1997.

He said the ministry, through the SPNB, had taken over the project and today the 1,030 buyers were able to move into their home.

The Taman Desa Rakyat Perdana housing project, built on a 29-acre site, was supposed to be delivered to the house buyers in 2001. Each unit, costing RM25,000, has a floor area of 710 square feet.

--BERNAMA