New homes for buyers after eight-year wait

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 3): A low and medium-cost housing project on Bukit Antarabangsa here, which stalled during a landslide in 2006, will be fully completed in February next year.

For the buyers, they will finally be able to move to new homes after an eight-year wait.

Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung gave an assurance that three of six blocks of houses in the scheme would be completed in two weeks' time while the rest in February next year.

"The delay was caused by financial problems faced by the developer following a landslide in May 2006. The developer was not at fault as it was ordered to stop work by the local authority.

"It also contributed funds to strengthen a slope in the area and faced rising cost of construction material and technical problems," he told reporters after visiting the project here on Thursday.

Chor said the government allocated RM80 million to strengthen the slope.

Meanwhile, Abandoned Property Owners Association of Malaysia chairman Dr Mohamad Rafick Khan Abdul Rahman commended Chor for helping the buyers in getting the project going again.

"Much to the buyers' delight, they will finally be able to move to new homes after fighting for the project for several years," said Mohamad Rafick. — Bernama