Scientex Bhd to build 1,420 affordable homes in Pasir Gudang

PETALING JAYA (May 5): Scientex Bhd’s wholly-owned subsidiary Scientex Quatari Sdn Bhd will be building 1,420 affordable housing units in Pasir Gudang, Johor in support of the state government’s Rumah Mampu Milik Johor (RMMJ) programme.

“We are pleased to participate in RMMJ to support the Johor government’s objective to encourage home-ownership amongst the peoples in the state,” said Scientex Bhd chairman Tan Sri Mohd Sheriff Mohd Kassim during the May 2 groundbreaking ceremony as reported by The Malaysian Insider's (TMI) City News, in the southern state.

“We view this initiative as part of Scientex’s corporate social responsibility, to give Johorians the opportunity to own quality and affordable houses within a thriving township… We hope to collaborate on future projects with the state government to provide more affordable housing to meet demand,” Sheriff added.

The report said the RMMJ programme groundbreaking ceremony was launched by Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin in Taman Scientex Pasir Gudang.

The affordable homes will be priced between RM80,000 and RM150,000 per unit with an estimated gross development value of RM184 million. The houses will be approximately 24km from Johor Baru and is slated for completion in 2017.

According to Sheriff, Scientex has delivered 9,000 affordable houses in Johor priced below RM200,000 since 1995. He added that the company has delivered 7,600 units in Taman Scientex Pasir Gudang alone, which is estimated to have a population of 30,000 to date.

Scientex will be setting up a dedicated unit within its sales and marketing division to liaise between potential RMMJ purchasers and the relevant state authorities.

Applicants must be Johor-based Malaysians aged 18 and above; those with a monthly household income of RM5,000 and below are eligible to buy homes priced at RM80,000 per unit while those earning a monthly household income of RM8,000 and below are eligible to buy the RM150,000 homes. They must not be home-owners of medium-cost or high-end properties and can make applications via the RMMJ website (http://erumah.johor.gov.my/?module=ops_add) or at any Johor housing development office.

Khaled said it was the state’s objective to ensure that its people would have access to affordable homes, even as it undergoes rapid economic development, particularly in Iskandar Malaysia.

“The RMMJ programme allows us to not only meet the continuous demand, but more importantly to collaborate with reputable property players, such as Scientex, in developing vibrant communities. We believe this is crucial for the state to achieve sustainable progress,” said Khaled, according to TMI's report. “To date, we have launched the RMMJ scheme in Johor Baru, Kulai, Nusajaya and Pasir Gudang, and look forward to rolling out subsequent phases in the near future”.

Khaled added that the state government was targeting to build 42,000 units of RMMJ by 2018.

The ceremony was also attended by Housing and Local Government executive council member Datuk Abdul Latif Bandi and Pasir Gudang Municipal Council president Md Za’nal Misran.