Picture of grace: Dancers entertaining the crowd during the FIABCI Malaysia: Penang Branch Members Night 2015 in Gurney Paragon Mall.

The state government is delivering its promise of providing affordable homes to Penangites, said Housing, Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo.

Out of the 12 planned projects comprising 22,512 units, four are already in progress in Bandar Cassia on the mainland, as well as Teluk Kumbar, Kampung Jawa and Jalan S.P. Chelliah on the island.

Jagdeep pointed out that the former would be completed next year, with the next two in 2017, and the latter in 2018.

“The time for planning and announcing is over.

He praised the private sector for their support in the affordable housing initiatives, which a reliable property website has cited as generating the most interest amongst house hunters.

At the same time, Jagdeep also called on the Federal Government to clarify its allocation of affordable housing units for Penang under its Perumahan Rakyat 1Malaysia (PR1MA) programme.

He referred to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s Budget 2015 announcement in December last year, which stated that RM1.3bil was to be allocated to PR1MA to build some 80,000 such units in the country.

“Furthermore, in the recent tabling of the 11th Malaysia Plan, promises were made that 653,000 units of affordable housing would be built in the next five years by various parties.

“But it failed to state how many would be delivered to Penang,” he said to over 100 property industry players last Friday.

FIABCI Penang Branch chairman Khor Siang Gin said the appreciation dinner, held for the first time, was aimed at fostering closer ties and providing a platform for mutually beneficial discussions.

Like his counterparts, Khor said he was also concerned about escalating property prices in Penang, which could be attributed to higher land, construction and material costs.

“We need to face and address such issues, to continue to attract local and foreign investment in the state for sustainable economic growth.

“On the brighter side, we expect the local property market to remain healthy and consistent,” Khor added.

Guests were later treated to a sumptuous buffet dinner at the mall’s Penang on 6 precinct, and enjoyed entertainment by dance and musical groups.

Source: TheStar.com.my