SPNB Rehabilitates 5,049 Abandoned Houses
Bernama 11/9/2006

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 (Bernama) -- Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad (SPNB) is rehabilitating eight abandoned housing projects, involving 5,049 houses, and studying the feasibility of rehabilitating 42 other projects.

The Finance Ministry's Parliamentary Secretary Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya said until now, SPNB had completed and obtained certificates of fitness for 4,575 houses in 11 abandoned housing projects.

"SPNB also provides counselling service and monitors 54 other abandoned projects which involve 13,374 houses," he told the Dewan Rakyat when replying to Datuk Ghazali Ibrahim on SPNB's success in helping the people to own houses and the number of abandoned housing projects which it had taken over.

Hilmi said since the inception of SPNB in 1997, the company had provided opportunities for people to own houses through various housing schemes like the Affordable Home Ownership Scheme, Mesra Rakyat Housing Scheme, rehabilitation of abandoned housing projects and housing projects for the armed forces.

He said until August 2006, SPNB had built 2,778 houses under the Affordable Home Ownership Scheme with another 18,712 units under various stages of implementation.

On abandoned projects, he said SPNB had taken over 73 projects.

"Under the Mesra Rakyat Housing Scheme, it has built 1,779 houses and another 1,121 units are in various stages of construction."

He said SPNB had spent RM98 million of the RM257 million allotted for the Mesra Rakyat housing projects.

"It is SPNB's objective to expedite building of houses but the main problem is getting the sites," he added.