Aathi Shankar | Thursday September 15, 2022
The federal government should resume the suspended two housing projects under the Squatter Compensation Unit (SCU) policy in Kuala Lumpur.
Former Federal Territory Deputy Minister Datuk Loga Bala Mohan said the pending projects in Sentul and Bukit Kiara, were initiated by the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government to provide cheap houses for resettlement of displaced poor squatter residents.
“The current federal government should take immediate initiatives to commence and complete both projects.
“The flat units were important to provide proper housing to needy and poor people,” said Loga Bala, who with then Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor was instrumental to implement the SCU policy in 2013.
Then the BN government started the policy to provide low-cost (LC) flat units as replacements to residents in squatter areas that were demolished to pave way for new development projects.
It was to resettle the residents in the same demolished areas, moving away from the previous policy of relocating them to public housing schemes elsewhere.
The SCU pilot project was to build 300 flat units in Kampung Pandan, followed by another 500 units in Sentul and 200 units in Bukit Kiara.
The previous BN government had built and completed the Kampung Pandan project but could not commence the other projects as it was ousted from Putrajaya in the 14th General Election (GE14).
Under SCU policy, each squatter family was allotted a government subsidised RM42,000 LC flat unit measuring 800sqft with 3 rooms and 2 toilets, for purchase.
The BN government under former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak allocated an RM50 million rolling fund under Syarikat Perumahan Yayasan (SPY) WP to provide full interest-free loans for the residents to purchase their flat units.
The succeeding PH federal government, however, did not commence the pending projects in Sentul and Bukit Kiara when it helmed the Putrajaya central administration after GE14.
PH government apparently withdrew the RM50 million rolling fund from SPY, resulting in the suspension of the projects.
Loga Bala hopes that the current federal government under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob would revive the projects.
“The poor squatter residents will appreciate and be thankful if the projects were completed.
“They desperately need the houses”◾️
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