POLICE have set up a task-force to zero-in on in-house contractors who are muscling for renovation jobs at newly completed apartments and condominiums using their links to triads in Penang.

An initial police probe found that many of them, who charged exorbitant prices for materials and workmanship, were protected by secret societies.

In the latest incident, police nabbed an “in-house” contractor, 34, after he had barred another contractor from starting renovation work at an apartment unit in Batu Lanchang here.

The suspect, said to have close links to the ‘08’ underworld gang, insisted that the house owner engaged him for the renovation or buy construction materials from him.

The victim, 59, lodged a police report on the matter.

George Town OCPD Asst Comm Gan Kong Meng said a suspect was picked up in Jelutong at 10am yesterday.

“He is now being investigated under Section 506 of the Penal Code for criminal intimidation.

“We have received four police reports of such similar cases at the same newly completed apartment block,” ACP Gan said.

“We will not tolerate this. House owners who are threatened by such contractors can come to us. House owners can engage any contractor they like,” he told a press conference at George Town police district headquarters.

He advised those who faced similar problems in Jelutong to contact ASP Azhar Abu Bakar at 012-9065999, Insp Megat Shafril Emran at 019-4100400 or lodge a police report at the nearest police station.

The in-house contractors who mono-polise renovations at newly completed high-rise residential buildings are mostly linked to secret societies active in the district.

It is learnt that house owners who refuse to engage them would be posed with all sort of problems, ranging from stolen or broken window panes, or having their unit doors, or walls damaged.

House owners were also forced to pay exorbitant prices for a wheelbarrow of sand or a bag of cement.

Source: The Star

Land owners here have been urged not to hastily sell off their plots for quick profits as this move could disrupt the physical environment of the area.

Pulau Betong assemblyman Muhammad Farid Saad said some land owners had received letters from a real estate agency asking them whether they have any intention to sell or rent out their lands.

“Just imagine if 100 acres of land were sold off.

“The landscape of Balik Pulau would surely then change.

“The owners here are entrusted to the land. Please don’t sell it.

“The quick profits will not last forever. But with the land, we can keep it for the generations to come.

“Even if they build new houses here, it is going to be costly. Only outsiders can afford it, not the locals here.

“If possible, please maintain Balik Pulau as it is, “ he said after presenting aids in the form of monetory aid, laptops, a personal computer and a printer totalling RM40,000 to 13 schools, the Fisherman Association and religious organisations in Balik Pulau.

Muhammad Farid, who also received the same letter, also questioned how the real estate agency got hold of their addresses.

“So far, I’ve collected 12 letters from the residents,” he added.

The letters dated March were sent by a real estate agency based in Butterworth.

When contacted, a spokesman for the real estate agency who declined to be named said that their company was assigned by a developer to obtain feedback from the residents.

“We are not forcing anyone to sell or rent their land.

“In fact, we have already received feedback from them. Some are not willing to sell but some are willing to provided the price is good. We will present the feedback we received to our client,” she said.

Source : The Star

GEORGE TOWN: If public transportation system is improved, there would be no need for a third link between Penang island and the mainland, says Halcrow Consultants director Dave Turner.

Turner, a transportation planning expert involved in the Penang Tran-sport Master Plan Study, said the third link depended on whether Penangites were ready to change and start using public transport.

“If we don’t start using public transportation, we will eventually need a third link.

“If we don’t make any improvement in public transportation, then cars will be the only option for most people’s travel. If so, then by 2030, we will need a third link,” he said at a forum on the Penang Master Plan Study.

Halcrow Consultants and Singapore Cruise Centre are part of AJC Planning Consultants which was hired by the state government for the master plan study last May.

Turner, who revealed the findings after almost a year’s research, said the study identified the issues on the lack of public transportation on the island and mainland, the pedestrian regime, and taxi and ferry services that needed attention.

He said the population growth would result in travel demand increasing by around 25% or more by 2020 and 50% or more by 2030.

“The methods we have taken to handle this problem are highway-based, public transport-based and policy intervention-based,” he added.

“As such, we have come up with two ap­­proaches – the Highway Improvement-Based Approach and the Balanced Approach Vision.”

He said both included the Core Package, which was an improvement on the highways, public transport and implementation of policy intervention.

“The Highway Improvement-Based Approach consists of the Core Package along with the Third Crossing, Cross City Link from Jelutong to Air Itam bypass, North Coast Pair Road, Air Itam to Relau Pair Road and the North-South Expressway Link,” he said, adding that the costs were estimated at RM12.5bil.

“The Balanced Approach Vision consists of the Core Package along with the Penang Outer Ring Bypass, the North-South Expressway Link, trams, ferries, commuter rail and George Town/Butterworth Access chargers,” he said.

The Balance Approach Vision costs RM13 billion.

“Which is best depends on your viewpoint. If you consider using a car is the way forward, then you might decide the highway approach is the best. If on the other hand, you consider protecting the enviroment, then the balance approach is the best way forward,” he said.

“From my viewpoint as a consultant, I think that at some point in time we have to make a decision as to whether the car is going to dominate,” he said.

He said that to emulate other international cities, the balanced approach was most suitable.

He noted that the balanced approach does not require the third link to be built.

Source: The Star

WHETHER you are a new house owner or just looking to refurbish your home, the Home Decoration Exhibition (HOMEDEC) should have everything to satisfy your desires.

Featuring a highlight on ‘Window Fashion’, the exhibition will guide and teach home-owners and shoppers how to choose the best materials, colours or trends to suit their lifestyles.

This popular exhibition, which will be held at PISA in Penang from Friday to Sunday, will also provide useful information on step-by-step planning, budgeting, designs and sourcing.

In addition, there is also a free seminar on blinds by Maxtrack Group Sdn Bhd on Saturday.

The annual exhibition, which will feature over 430 exhibitors this year, will also showcase several categories ranging from sanitaryware, kitchen cabinet and home appliances to home security systems as well as water filtration and interior design services.

Visitors who spend RM100 and above in a single receipt will be entitled to participate in the HOMEDEC Buyers Contest.

From there, five lucky participants will earn a chance to win RM7,500 cash or product vouchers each.

On top of that, purchasers who spend above RM1,000 in a single receipt in the HOMEDEC Buyers Contest will be able to qualify for the RM100,000 Cash4Grabs.

The contest will be ongoing in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor Bahru and Kota Kinabalu between April and September.

The HOMEDEC exhibition is open to the public and entrance is free. For more details, log on to www.homedec.com.my.

Source: The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: The Government is considering raising the minimum floor prices of houses foreigners are allowed to buy to RM1mil from the current RM500,000 in an effort to control the rise in property prices, sources said.

They said such a decision was “in the pipeline” and the implementation would be made by the economic planning unit (EPU) under the Prime Minister’s Department currently headed by Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop.

“From what I understand, these revised guidelines have been discussed at the ministerial level and should this be enforced, it will mean that foreigners will only be allowed to buy properties priced above RM1mil. For now, the base price is set at RM500,000 for foreigners. This base price is a bit low looking at present circumstances,” a government source who requested anonymity said.

“The current trend in the property market indicates that prices are still continuing to climb despite measures by Bank Negara to curb property prices from spiralling out of control. We need to act before it goes further out of hand,” the Putrajaya source added.

Another source said the revised guidelines would also consider a slightly lower base price threshold of RM800,000 for residential properties in selected economic corridors such as Johor’s Iskandar Malaysia to ensure the development and success of these corridor hotspots.

“This base price will also be subject to reviews by the Government from time to time depending on the inflationary situation of the economy and to keep overall inflation in check,” the source said.

Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Donald Lim had recently told the press that the Government would take “strict measures” to avoid a US subprime mortgage financial crisis after average house prices jumped almost 7% in the fourth quarter of last year despite measures announced by Bank Negara to rein in property prices.

“The Government is worried about property prices causing a bubble and we don’t want banks to overlend to the property sector,” Lim said.

Industry sources surveyed by StarBiz said foreigners that tend to buy properties in Malaysia were those from South Korea, Japan, China and Singapore.

“This move will give an advantage to locals, especially those in the middle-income category as locals will not need to compete with foreigners. I am not surprised by this move, but our agency has so far seen mostly people from China and Singapore buying properties above RM1mil anyway,” a KL-based licensed real estate negotiator who did not want to be named said.

“However, we may see fewer transactions from the Koreans and Japanese. Westerners such as those from the United States and Europe won’t usually buy. They prefer to rent instead,” the real estate negotiator added.

Meanwhile, the implementation of the higher floor price is expected to have a minimal impact on the property market in Malaysia as official statistics show that only 2.4% (worth RM1.45bil) of transactions conducted in the residential sector last year were worth RM1mil and more.

The Finance Ministry’s Valuation and Property Services Department Property Market Report 2011 released last week showed there were 269,789 residential property transactions worth RM61.83bil transacted last year, the highest recorded in the last five years.

“Both volume and value recorded double-digit growth of 18.9% and 22.1% respectively. The All House Price Index surged to 156.9 points in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2011 against 147.2 points registered in Q4 2010,” the report said.

The report said that landed housing was on a “general upward trend” in Malaysia and also attributed the rise in property prices to the Sungai Buloh-Kajang My Rapid Transit project.

“Across the board, terraced houses in KL recorded increases of 8%-13%. Increased prices of landed houses on Penang island were apparent. The highest transacted price of two- and three-storey detached (houses) were at RM2.05mil and RM5.15mil respectively,” the report said.

Source: The Star