Kuala Lumpur, Aug 3 –The Government is committed to transform the image of low-cost housing projects (PPR) and to give them a facelift to improve the well-being and quality of residents.
Housing, Local Government and Urban Wellbeing Minister Tan Sri Noh Omar said the ministry was in the process of transforming public perception of PPR through the provision of better features and facilities.
“We do not want (the perception) when we see PPR homes, oh, this is a slum area house. We want to change the perception. We want a transformation,” he told Bernama after the Ministers’ Question Time session at the Dewan Rakyat here, today.
He said it was also the aspiration of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to see poor people enjoy a better quality of life.
“This is of concern to the Prime Minister. He always talks to me on how we can help the poor, so they can also enjoy a better quality of life,” he said.
He said since 2016, all new PPR projects have more holistic improvements and one of the key features of the new PPR buildings would be a seismic safety feature to reduce the probability of impact on the structure in the event of an earthquake, which has occurred quite frequently over the years.
Earlier, when replying to a question from Datuk Noraini Ahmad (BN-Parit Sulong) on ??improvements to PPR so as to provide a better lifestyle to the people in the city, Noh said all new PPR would have such features and the government plans to build no more than 500 housing units in each project.
He said from the design aspect, the floor area of the PPR unit would also be increased from 60.4 square metres to 65 square metres, while the floor finishes for the entire house would be upgraded from cement to tiles.
Noh Omar said each project would also be equipped with other facilities such as convenience stores, kindergartens, one car park for each unit, as well as a funeral management room.
Commenting on a supplementary question from Shamsul Iskandar (PKR-Bukit Katil), Noh said the government currently imposed a better screening system to ensure that only qualified applicants obtained PPR housing units.
He said unlike before, where applicants were only screened by the ministry, they would now be checked through the Inland Revenue Board to ensure that they do not own any other house, as well as a background check to ensure they were recipients of the 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) with a household income of not more than RM3,000 per month.
“The third layer of screening is to display the successful applicants’ names to the public for two-weeks to see if there is any protest against any applicant,” he said.