GEORGE TOWN: Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has admitted that the state government has not been building affordable homes.

However, he said the state had provided low-cost houses through itsPenang Development Corporation (PDC).

“Almost 11,000 low-cost homes had been built by the state government,” he pointed out.

“Some 3,000 were built through the PDC and the rest by the private sector.

“The Federal Government does not build affordable houses by itself, but it’s done through Syarikat Perumahan Negara Bhd (SPNB), the national housing board,” Lim said after attending a Deepavali open house organised by him and the state exco members here yesterday.

Lim was commenting on the Auditor-General’s Report 2010 which stated that not a single low-cost house had been built by the Penang government from 2008 to 2010.

The Report also said that it had gone ahead with plans to set up an Aquaculture Industry Zone (ZIA) despite being advised that the project could pollute the sea.

It said the state Fisheries Department had set up the ZIA, which covers 204ha of mangrove swamp forests at the north of Seberang Prai.

“The state Forestry Department suggested that the area be maintained as developing the aquaculture industry there could pollute the sea water.

“It will also destroy mangrove trees there, which serve as a buffer zone to absorb shocks from waves and tsunamis,” the Report said.

The Report also said that the Federal Government had given an allocation of RM868,000 to the state government to replant mangrove trees throughout Penang, but only 24.5% of the trees survived.

It also said some 37 state officers from five state departments were mistakenly overpaid by a total of RM109,170.

“Some 13 officers were also underpaid by a total of RM13,544,” it said, adding that the errors occurred during staff promotions, bonus payments and other allowances.

“Other incidents of overpayment also occurred due to staff resignations, deaths or absence from duty,” the Report said.

Source: The Star

Rivere Garden, located within established township of Seberang Jaya and 600m east of Carrefour Hypermarket, with Easy access to North-South Highway Way, Butterworth / Kulim Expressway (BORR) and Butterworth Outer Link Road.

Property Project : Rivere Garden
Location : Seberang Jaya, Penang
Property Type : 2 & 3-Storey Terrace, 3-Storey Semi-D
Tenure : Freehold
Indicative Price: RM 398,000 onwards
Developer: CSY Development Sdn. Bhd.
Developer Contact: 04-323 6286

GEORGE TOWN: Allegations have surfaced accusing Pakatan Rakyat politicians of giving special preference to their cronies in awarding lots for the Kampung Buah Pala compensation houses.

Following the handing over of keys for the 24 lots on Sunday, it was found that the personal assistants of DAP and PKR leaders received the coveted corner lots.

One went to outspoken villager M. Santha, 49, who works as a special assistant to Batu Uban PKR assemblyman S. Raveen Tharan, while the other went to R. Karunakaran, 65, a personal assistant to state Tourism Development and Culture Committee chairman and Batu Lanchang DAP assemblyman Danny Law Heng Kiang.

Karunakaran said lots had been drawn for the houses and receiving a corner unit had been a pleasant surprise for his family.

“As the lots were drawn randomly by the developer, we were astonished by the results,” he said.

Santha said she was happy with the compensation received as she had been renting a house in Brown Garden, Gelugor, during the interim period.

When asked about the issue during a break in a state assembly sitting yesterday, Deputy Chief Minister II Dr P. Ramasamy denied that the state was involved in the selection of the lots.

“The state had no hand in this. We only mediated the (compensation) deal. Everything else was handled by the developer who drew lots for the houses,” he said.

The 24 double-storey houses were part of a compensation package offered by property developer Nusmetro Ventures (P) Sdn Bhd who are currently developing the former Kampung Buah Pala site.

Source: The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: Ninety-six Bumiputera subcontractors, including that of Class F, are involved in the ongoing Penang Second Bridge project with contracts valued at RM961 million, Works Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor said.

He said these Bumiputera subcontractors made up 48% of the total subcontractors appointed for the project, which was 61.83% completed.

"Of the total, six are Class F subcontractors with contracts worth RM1.5 million," he said in reply to Saifuddin Nasution Ismail (PKR-Machang) during question time at the Dewan Rakyat sitting here on Monday, Oct 24.

Shaziman said the Class F subcontractors were mostly involved in finishing works like the installation of road dividers, road signs and landscaping.

"Right now, the works undertaken at the construction site involved specific and highly-technical works, including the installation and the construction of the superstructure. Some of the works are at sea and beyond the Class F Bumiputera subcontractors' expertise," he added. – Bernama

SOURCE: The Edge Property

A GROUP of residents from the Pykett Avenue, Khaw Sim Bee Road and Westlands Road area in Penang are raising queries and concerns about a high-rise property development in the vicinity.

The group said they were facing existing traffic problems and floods caused by heavy rains, and were worried about the environmental and social impact that the development would have on them.

Resident S.K. Ang of Lorong Pykett said a social impact assessment study had to be carried out along with a dilapidation survey on surrounding houses, to ensure no dispute during and after construction.

“As of now, we already have a spillover of cars in the area from existing residences. And floods will happen when it rains heavily,” she said when met at her house along with 10 other residents on Saturday.

Ang added that residents from the surrounding neighbourhood were also wondering what had happened to the Penang Municipal Council’s (MPPP) order that the developer rebuild a colonial era double-storey bungalow that it tore down without permission in July last year.

In January, the developer was fined RM6,000 by a magistrate’s court for illegally tearing down the bungalow, and MPPP subsequently issued the order for it to be rebuilt. To date, no work has been carried out yet.

It was reported that the developer planned to build four towers for a 315-unit apartment, with a five-storey podium for car park and public amenities on the 1.37ha plot.

“We’re not against development but why can?t it go hand-in-hand with preservation? Just because it’s easier to have development without preservation, doesn’t mean it can’t be done,” Ang said.

Another concern, she said, was the density of the units of the project.

“For an established housing area, the density is normally between 15 and 30 units per acre but the total of units planned for the project has exceeded that,” she claimed.

Another resident S.T. Cheah said that MPPP should ensure the environment was maintained and not disturbed by construction in terms of working hours, noise, dust and dirt.

In an immediate response, state Local Government and Traffic Management Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said the order to rebuild the bungalow still stands.

He added that discussions were ongoing between the developer and the council.

He also said he was arranging for a meeting with the residents soon to hear and provide feedback for their grouses.

“The council has already implemented the new ruling, where certain areas could have higher density per acre, for more than a year now,”? he said.

SOURCE: The Star