Customs Dept quarters demolished to make way for PR1MA

GEORGE TOWN: Residential units at the former Customs Department quarters in Jalan Kampung Kastam here are being demolished to make way for a 1Malaysia Housing Project (PR1MA) effort.

A statement by the Office of the Land and Mines Department Director General said PR1MA homes will be built on the 7.2ha site.

“This is to enable the people of Penang to purchase affordable housing in that area,” the statement said.

According to the statement, the land is owned by the Federal Land Commission and the demolition exercise involves 114 quarters of which 77 have been vacated.

There are still residents staying in the remaining 37 units.

The statement said only vacated units will be demolished and decided upon by the State Technical Planning Committee.

“For units with residents, the Department has to bring up the matter with the State Land Committee before any demolition can be carried out,” it said.

The quarters used to house employees of the Customs Department in the 1960s.

Meanwhile, the demolition exercise continued yesterday with another 57 uninhabited houses demolished.

Police were on hand to ensure the peace as the work was carried out by developers beginning at 9am.

The presence of police comes after a similar exercise on Wednesday afternoon saw the arrest of one man who was protesting against the demolition.

Police, however, failed to obtain the remand order against the man after the Penang High Court rejected their application yesterday.

When contacted, defence counsel RSN Rayer said he objected to the remand application by the police.

"My client should not be remanded and can be given police bail as he is prepared to cooperate with the police and he lives in Gelugor," he said.