KUCHING: The state government plans to reduce the red tape in approving housing projects in a bid to reduce the prices of houses and other properties in the state.
Adenan (centre) touring the exhibition booths. — Photo by Jeffery Mostapha
Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Adenan Satem believed certain procedures could be dispensed with or be simplified so that the period of application and approval would be shortened and hopefully that would reduce the prices of properties.
He asked Housing Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg to call for a meeting among the Housing Ministry, regulatory bodies, Land and Survey Department, housing developers and housing corporations to work together to find a way to improve the state’s housing industry.
“I think there ought to be exchange of minds and as a contribution let me say now that I am going to direct the Land and Survey Department to simplify the approval for getting housing projects,” he said to the applause of the audience at the opening of Sarawak Housing and Real Estates Development Association (Sheda) Property Exhibition 2014 at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here yesterday.
Among those present at the occasion were Abang Johari, his assistants Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah and Datuk Francis Harden Hollis, Pantai Damai assemblyman Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi, and Sheda president Haji Zaidi Ahmad.
Adenan also said to meet the increasing demand for housing in the state the government would open up more land in major towns for housing estates.
“We will try to open up more land by increasing infrastructure development like what we did in constructing roads to Bandar 2020, Samarahan and other areas. But let me remind you if that result in land cost being reduced let that be passed on to house buyers. Don’t retain it with yourself,” he stressed.
The chief minister said the government would strive to ensure that the prices of houses are within reach of the people.
“Everybody wants a home and we are going to develop a house owning society like Singapore where almost 80 per cent of the population owns a house.”
He noted over the years the state had faced very rapid development where even places which were once considered to be isolated had boomed into busy and lively residential areas.
“We have to open up more land outside urban centres because we cannot have full concentration in the city although at the moment we have not reached a stage to encourage decentralisation yet,” he said.