4 September, KUALA LUMPUR – Felda needs to be injected with funds of RM955 million to complete the Felda New Generation Housing project, which is now classified as abandoned, said Deputy Economic Affairs Minister Dr Mohd Radzi Md Jidin.
He said Felda had planned to build 8,314 houses under the project, involving RM1.65 billion.
“Of the total, 1,234 units had been built, with 563 of the units handed over and 671 units still in the stage of selecting the participants, while 5,346 units are still under construction and another 1,734 units classified as abandoned.
Felda has spent RM696 million with RM200 million from government allocation through Budget 2017 and RM496 million through internal resources in Felda,” he said when winding up the debate on the motion of thanks for the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s speech on behalf of his ministry in the Dewan Negara today.
He said the government opined that Felda had to find immediate solutions to resolve the issue on the abandoned housing project.
Felda role as implementer of housing development programmes should be reviewed , he said, adding that the agency should not be directly involved as a housing developer, as it required not only expertise and experience , but also capital.
“To avoid abandoned housing projects, the Felda management should realise that they are several option, including by opening opportunities for other government agencies to help, apart from enhancing cooperation with state governments.
“For example, Felda’s cooperation with Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad (SPNB) and also with the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) which began in November 2017 where PKNS developed a housing project in Felda Sungai Tengi Selatan, Hulu Selangor, he added.
– BERNAMA