Nga says 31 of 34 'sick' PR1MA projects completed as of April, rest to be ready by year end

• Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming said any contractor or company, including company directors, who cause projects to fail without reasonable justification will be blacklisted and not allowed to participate in any projects under the KPKT and PR1MA.

SEREMBAN (May 9): A total of 31 out of 34 troubled or ‘sick’ projects by PR1MA Corporation Malaysia nationwide have been completed, encompassing 20,470 residential units as of April, said Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming. (pictured)

The minister said that the remaining three projects—two in Melaka and one in Kedah—will be completed by year end, with the full support of his ministry (KPKT) and related agencies.

“The troubled projects were inherited from the previous government and former management of PR1MA. When I was given the mandate and responsibility, we found, after a review, that there were 34 troubled projects nationwide, and we have now completed 31 of them.

“In Negeri Sembilan, in two years we successfully salvaged three troubled projects, namely in Seremban Sentral, Port Dickson and Rantau, involving 2,929 housing units, thanks to the contractors and buyers who were patient," he told reporters after handing over the keys to Residensi Bandar Ekar, Rantau housebuyers here on Friday.

He said any contractor or company, including company directors, who cause projects to fail without reasonable justification will be blacklisted and not allowed to participate in any projects under the KPKT and PR1MA.

He said when the tender process is opened or request for proposal is carried out, those blacklisted will be disqualified, ensuring that there will be no more abandoned projects in the future.

In the meantime, Nga said the Residensi Bandar Ekar project, with a gross development value of RM172 million, involves 766 units of one-and-a-half and two-storey terrace houses that started on Feb 1, 2017, and was scheduled for completion on May 31, 2020.

He said that out of that number, 752 units had been sold at competitive and affordable prices starting from RM165,000 to RM224,000, in addition to the project being equipped with various facilities including a kindergarten, surau and playground.

"Due to various constraints including Covid-19, supply of building materials and labour, housebuyers were unable to occupy their units, but finally after five years, this project has been completed," he also said, adding that PR1MA is planning to launch the second phase of the project soon.

In another development, Nga did not deny that some local authorities were negligent in managing the MyKiosk project, and hopes they would be responsible for ensuring the project is taken up within the next 30 days.

Regarding the construction project of the waste-to-energy plant at the Sungai Udang Sanitary Landfill site in Melaka, he said that there are discussions with the concession company, and construction will commence as soon as an agreement is reached.

"It's up to the National Solid Waste Management Department to discuss with the concession company (the actual time frame). I don't want to force it. I want it to be voluntary because we want a win-win formula," he added.

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