Housing project for civil servants launched

KOTA SAMARAHAN: The 1Malaysia Civil Servants Housing Project (PPA1M) was launched in Muara Tuang yesterday with the state government planning to build at least 15,000 such houses for civil servants in the future.

According to Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg, the PPA1M houses are for civil servants and they come with subsidy components from the government in order to make the houses affordable for them.

He also said that the prices of the PPA1M houses are expected to be 30 per cent below market price.

A brainchild of the federal government, prices of the PPA1M houses are affordable for buyers and anyone in the civil service (federal, state, local government and government-linked companies) can apply for it.

“We care for the needs of Sarawakian civil servants in the state which is why we have implemented the project here in the state. We understand that their income might not be adequate for them to buy a house, especially those with families to support,” he added.

Abang Johari thus thanked Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and the federal government for implementing the pioneering project here in Sarawak.

He was speaking during the PPA1M @ Muara Tuang project launching ceremony at the project’s site yesterday.

A total of 246 unit of town houses and 94 units of terrace houses will be built under the project developed by Blessed Builders Sdn Bhd on an 18 acre plot of land.

Twelve types of houses are available under the PPA1M @ Muara Tuang project and application for the houses is still open until April 30 this year.

Civil servants who are interested can visit the project’s website at www.ppa1m.gov.my to apply for houses in the project.

Speaking to reporters during a press conference after the launching ceremony, Abang Johari commented that the state government would build more PPA1M houses in the future.

“More PPA1M houses will be built throughout the state. We will implement the project in stages after this,” he said.

Sarawak has an advantage to build more PPA1M houses because of the abundance of land in the state.

Thus the state targets at least 15,000 PPA1M houses to be built in Sarawak.

So far the state and federal governments have approved 5,400 PPA1M houses to be built soon in the state.

The PPA1M project for Sarawak was first launched in Miri recently.

Also present during the launching ceremony were Assistant Minister of Public Health Datuk Dr Jerip Susil, Blessed Builders Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Dato Sri Thomas Lau and Ministry of Housing and Urbanisation permanent secretary Datu Sudarsono Osman.