No delay in approval of affordable homes in Penang

GEORGE TOWN: State housing committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo today dismissed the allegations by Penang Federal Action Council chairman Datuk Seri Zainal Abidin Osman that the state has three "lanes" in approving affordable housing projects.
"There are no lanes, only one lane and that lane is a lane where the developers have to comply with all the guidelines set by the state government," he said in a press conference at his office in Komtar earlier today.
Jagdeep said both private and federal developers must comply with the guidelines to obtain approval for affordable housing projects in the state.
Zainal had alleged that the state government has three lanes of approval. The first one is a special lane for selected developers, the second lane is for normal developers and the third is the slow lane for federal government agencies.
Jagdeep said Zainal should reveal the names of developers in the purported special lane.
"I want to ask him where is the other two lanes, please tell me, don't simply make allegations without specifying," he said.
Jagdeep said he was also surprised that Zainal had asked for special treatment for federal government agencies in getting approval to build affordable homes in the state.
He said the state government had rejected many applications from private developers to build affordable homes because they did not comply with the guidelines given.
In a press conference yesterday, Zainal had said that the federal agency wanted the DAP-led Penang state government to expedite approval for the Planning Permission to build 46,602 units of affordable houses in the state.
He said the approval for the houses has been pending for a number of years and lamented the approach of the state government.