Abandoned projects mar developed status
07/04/2008The Star By Elan Perumal

THERE are more than 150 abandoned projects in Selangor and this does not go well with the image of the state that has attained developed status.

State Housing, Government Property and Squatters committee chairman Iskandar Abdul Samad said the projects comprised both small and big ones, including hotel, commercial and housing developments.

He said some of the projects had been abandoned at the very early stages while many had been left uncompleted half way.


Hazard: This abandoned project filled with stagnant water could become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

“There are also projects that have been abandoned when they almost reached completion,” Iskandar said.

He said many of the abandoned projects were housing schemes and this would deprive the people of owning homes.

He said priority would be given to reviving abandoned housing schemes.

“Thousands of people are affected by abandoned schemes as they come up with money to pay deposits for their houses and pay monthly instalments to the banks.”

For a start, Iskandar said the state would be holding meetings with the affected people and the developers so that solutions could be reached.

Besides financial problems faced by the developers, he said they had to look into other reasons why projects had been abandoned.


Hard at work: Iskandar going through some documents at his office.

“This could be due to technical problems or even switching developers.

“Whatever the reasons are, we do not want the people to suffer and the state government will be doing everything possible to improve the situation,” he said.

On commercial projects, Iskandar said there would be also meeting with the relevant agencies and developers.

He said the situation also served as a lesson for the local authorities so that they would be more careful when approving development projects.

Besides the viability of the projects, he said the local authorities must also look at the credibility of the developers.

Iskandar also said there were not many squatter settlements left in the state.

However, he said the state viewed the matter seriously and assured the families that their interests would be protected.

“We have to handle the situation carefully since these people have been occupying the affected land for many years.

Almost complete: Some of the projects are left to rot even though they are near completion.

“It is the responsibility of the state government to ensure that the squatters’ housing needs are taken care of before they are moved out of the existing homes,” Iskandar added.