Penang government questions accuracy of information on PR1MA housing

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang government today questioned the accuracy of information in a Penang Federal Development Office pamphlet on the availability of affordable housing in the state.
State Housing, Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh (pix) said page 7 of the pamphlet claimed that 16,569 units of 1Malaysia People's Housing Project (PR1MA) were in the "pembinaan" (under construction) process.
He said this was not true as of the four projects applied by PR1MA, only two – one in Bukit Gelugor with 905 units and another in Batu Ferringhi with 1,248 units – were approved.
"Work has not commenced, how can they say the units are under construction," he said in a press conference with Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.
Jagdeep said the applications for another two projects – one in Tasek Gelugor and another in Balik Pulau – were returned to PR1MA for review as both did not meet the guidelines of the state.
He said the Balik Pulau proposal had exceeded the height limit for the area as buildings there cannot be more than 16-stories tall.
"What is proposed by PR1MA there is a 29 blocks of 27-storey apartments which did not adhere to the guidelines for development in Balik Pulau," he said adding the state was serious in preserving the environment there.
theSun has texted Penang Federal Action Council chairman Datuk Seri Zainal Abidin Osman for his response and is awaiting his reply at time of writing.
On a separate matter, Lim said a June 22 report in an English daily which claimed factories were closing down in Penang was "mischievous".
He said Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida) figures showed Penang attracted some RM59 billion worth of investments from 2008 to 2016 compared to Perak which attracted some RM22 billion in investments for the same period.
The report also claimed people opted to stay in north Perak and work in Penang but Lim said the 2016 Migration Survey Report showed Penang ranked first in positive migration.
He said the report showed the state had the highest number of people entering Penang and expressed his hope the people can see the truth for themselves.