PDC involved in 14 affordable housing projects statewide

PENANG: State housing, town and country planning committee chairman Jagdeep Singh today refuted suggestions that the only business the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) was involved in was selling land.
He said PDC was involved in 14 projects statewide to develop affordable housing, with the bulk at Batu Kawan where some 11,000 affordable residential units were planned.
"There are also some which have not been finalised and announcements will be made when the plans are final," he told the state assembly in reply to Datuk Muhamad Farid Saad (Pulau Betong–BN) who asked what happened to the RM500million PDC obtained from the sale of land at Bayan Mutiara.
Jagdeep said the monies had been deposited in the state consolidated fund.
From 2012 until 2015, the state has allocated annual grants to PDC for the purpose of building affordable housing.
The House also heard how the state was trying to balance the interests of the tourism industry by local government, traffic management and flood mitigation committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow vis a vis licensed and unlicensed hotel operators.
He said the state has granted unlicensed operators many exemptions during the current legitimisation exercise which will last until Oct 31, next year, including exempting rezoning and parking requirements.
"The state has received complaints from licensed operators having to compete with unlicensed operators so there is a need to balance the interests of all," he said in reply to Norlela Ariffin (PKR–Penanti) and Teh Lai Heng (Komtar – DAP).