AMPANG JAYA, April 29 — The government will be monitoring low-cost homes built by the state on a five-yearly basis, in light of the crack that occurred at Block F of the Taman Keramat Permai PKNS Flats here, Zuraida Kamaruddin said today.
The housing and local government minister said it was a new policy.
“The new policy is to monitor once every five years. Under National Housing, we also have a policy to study buildings that are 30 years and older to see if they need redevelopment, especially for low costs homes on hill slopes,” Zuraida told reporters during a visit to the affected site.
The Taman Keramat Permai Flats are only 28 years old, but Zuraida said she has instructed her ministry to study whether the buildings were in need of redevelopment or not.
However, she conceded that she will have to speak with the Selangor government first and obtained a 90 per cent agreement from the residents staying there before any redevelopment can occur.
Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali who was at the same press conference expressed support for the five-yearly review, saying that redevelopment of such low-cost homes will only benefit the residents in the long run.
“If we can redevelop, the real estate value will increase but we need the agreement of the owners before we can propose the redevelopment.
“At the same time, we do need to improve our monitoring system, especially when it comes to old buildings. We must be able to ensure that they are fit for living,” said Azmin who is Gombak MP.
