PERAK has no plans to implement the ‘rent and sell’ concept for its housing projects, said Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Tajol Rosli Ghazali. 

He said Selangor could do so as property prices there were less volatile. 

“When you buy houses in Selangor, you can still make money but the situation in Perak is different,” he said after handing over keys to purchasers of Permai Lake View Apartments in Tambun, Ipoh, recently.  

Also present was Syarikat Majuperak Berhad chairman Datuk Nadzri Ismail, who is also Manjoi assembly- man. 

Tajol Rosli added that he had directed all district officers to identify land in their areas to build houses for squatters and those in the lower income group. 

“We will then find contractors to develop housing projects on the land,” he said. 

Perak currently has some 15,000 squatters, of which 5,000 are in Ipoh. 

Earlier, Tajol Rosli said the Permai Lake View project by Syarikat Majuperak Berhad was in line with the state’s mission to offer quality homes to those in the middle and lower income groups. 

He also said the state would spend RM70mil to upgrade Jalan Raja DiHilir (formerly Jalan Tambun) and Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah Utara. 

“When the projects are completed, traffic from Tambun to the city centre will be smoother and will benefit purchasers of Permai Lake View,” he said. 

Nadzri said there had been some problems during the initial stages of the project. 

“But the problems were solved and the project was completed six months ahead of schedule,” he said, adding that the apartments were under Phase Two of the Lembah Perpaduan Permai overall project. 

“All the five phases will be completed by year 2011,” he said.