State to build 50,000 low, medium-cost houses

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KUCHING: Sarawak plans to build some 50,000 units of low and medium cost houses in major towns and cities in the next six years for squatters, rural-urban migrants and young graduates.

Housing Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg said to achieve the target, his ministry had gathered the necessary information and experiences from Australia, Singapore and China to build cheaper, quality and people, environment-friendly housing projects.

“We have been to Australia, Singapore and most recently to China. We will combine the positive aspects in our housing policy direction in Sarawak especially the modular housing system from Tianjin (China), as it is cheaper to build but high in quality. They are good for the urban community taking into account the needs of the elderly and the handicapped,” he told a news conference at his office in Jalan Sultan Tengah here yesterday.

He said that to build cheaper houses, his ministry would collaborate with the private sector especially with Sarawak Housing and Real Estate Developers’ Association (Sheda) and Sarawak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) to set up a joint venture company to start a factory and production line in Sarawak with imported technology from MCC Tianggong Factory in Tianjin, China.

Recently, Abang Johari led a 43-member delegation consisting of officials from his ministry as well as from Sheda and SCCI to China to study the housing industry and look into new and cost-effective construction methods and materials.

He said that by 2020, the state government must also address the housing needs of those who would migrate to towns and cities in Sarawak.

“We have to address the needs of our people especially the young graduates. If we don’t address the current situation (where the prices of houses are too expensive), they may turn against the government knowing they are very knowledgeable,” he said, adding that the state government must also address the needs of some 8,000 squatters statewide.

Abang Johari also said his ministry had appointed Assistant Minister of Housing Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah to study the current housing by-laws that needed to be amended in order to adapt the modular housing system from China.

He added that his ministry would build at least 500 units of affordable houses comprising three blocks of 12-storey buildings at Kampung Tabuan Melayu here to address the urgent needs of residents especially those who have lost their homes to the fire recently. The project is expected to take two years to complete.