More than 1,000 housing units under construction

KUALA LUMPUR: Dewan Rakyat was told today that 1,183 housing units under the national housing (RBN) programme were currently under construction at nine locations nationwide.
Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the number was to cater to part of the 1,675 applications received by the Federal Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (Felcra).
He said the Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (RISDA) had already approved 158 of the 1,626 RBN applications it had received to date.
"Eighty-one units are under construction while 16 have been completed," he said in his reply to Anuar Abd Manap (BN-Sekijang).
Through the RBN programme, the government offers a RM20,000 incentive for houses worth RM65,000 each to eligible applicants.
Applications for the units measuring 700sq feet each, consisting of three bedrooms and two bathrooms and basic amenities such as electricity and water supply are open to rural youth aged 18 to 45 years.
The RBN housing unit must be built on the applicant's own or parents' land.
On updates on RBN projects, he said 140 housing units had been completed; 123 units were under construction while planning approval had been obtained for two projects involving 318 housing units.
He added that planning approval was being processed for three RBN projects involving 303 housing units while two projects involving 302 housing units were at the application stage for site approval.
To a supplementary question from Anuar, he said those who did not have monthly salary slips to submit with their applications could obtain verification of their income from local leaders such as the 'penghulu' or 'tok batin'.
"To facilitate financing for applicants, the ministry and RISDA recently forged a cooperation with Agrobank.
"Following this, applicants who want to apply for housing loan need not use a salary slip, only a verification of income from local leaders," he said.
Later speaking to reporters at the parliament lobby, Ismail Sabri said several applicants had not been able to own homes solely because they could not get housing loans as they did not have any salary slip.
"It is because they are self-employed, such as vegetable farmers, maybe night market hawkers ... so we resolve the issue through a cooperation with Agrobank which has agreed to approve loans without salary slip.
"The applicants may just get a confirmation letter on their income from local leaders such as the village chief, member of parliament, state assemblyman or even Umno division chief," he said. — Bernama