GEORGE TOWN: The Penang government is optimistic about achieving the target to build 220,000 units of Affordable Housing (RMM) by 2030.

State Housing and Environment Committee chairman, Datuk Seri S Sundarajoo, said the target is in line with the agenda ‘Housing for All’, which is the state government’s main core in providing affordable housing for the people of this state.

He said that so far, impressive progress has been made, with 157,073 units of RMM currently at various stages of construction, accounting for 71.4 per cent of the total targeted.

“This figure includes 50,700 units already built, 20,249 units under construction, and another 80,124 units in the planning stage,” he said in a Facebook post.

Sundarajoo added that this progress was shared with the Minister of Housing and Local Government, Nga Kor Ming, during his visit to the minister’s office in Putrajaya yesterday.

The delegation was also accompanied by the Penang Housing Board (LPNPP) chief executive officer Ainul Fadhilah Samsudi, and its chief business officer, Fakhurrazi Ibnu Omar.

Meanwhile, Sundarajoo also expressed gratitude to the federal government for approving a total allocation of RM21.175 million for financing 51 projects.

“A total of RM4.98 million of the allocation has been used for 15 projects under the Housing Maintenance Programme for Public Strata Housing, while another RM16.19 million to finance 36 projects under the Malaysian Housing Maintenance Fund for Private Strata Housing,” he said.

According to him, the allocation for the year 2024 is the largest ever received by Penang since 2020.

In this regard, he hopes that with close cooperation between the state and federal governments, more agendas for public housing, especially in Penang, can be continuously achieved.