It is mission possible

Home sweet home: Visitors viewing some of the house models during the roadshow in Butterworth, Penang.

IT took a long time for the Penang Government to start building homes under its affordable housing scheme as it had to save money for the projects, said Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

He said the state had allocated RM500mil which was generated from the sale of 41.5ha of land on the island for the scheme.

Lim said the state was working with the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) to build 22,575 affordable homes for Penangites, especially those in the middle and lower- income groups.

“It involves 12 projects in all the five districts in the state. For the three Seberang Prai districts, there will be 16,373 low-cost, low medium-cost and affordable units,” Lim said.

He was launching the Mission:Home Possible roadshow in Taman Lucky, off Jalan Raja Uda in Butterworth for the Bagan parliamentary constituency on Saturday.

This is the second roadshow after the first one held in Komtar on Aug 23 for the Tanjung and Jelutong parliamentary constituencies.

Lim said the roadshow series, which will cover all 13 parliamentary constituencies in the state, would run until December.

Also present were state executive councillors Jagdeep Singh Deo, Phee Boon Poh and Lim Hock Seng as well as Bagan Dalam assemblyman A. Tanasekharan.

It was earlier reported that the roadshow was aimed at informing the public about the state’s affordable housing projects.

The public can also apply for units at these projects or check their application status at the roadshow which is scheduled to be held on Saturdays fortnightly.

Jagdeep, who is state Housing Committee chairman, said the state’s Selection Process Enhancement Committee would select the successful applicants.

To be eligible, applicants must be a Penangite or prove that they have lived in Penang for at least five years, be a registered voter in the state and a first-time house buyer.

Their household income must also not exceed RM2,500 to apply for RM42,000 low-cost homes, RM3,500 for RM72,000 low medium-cost homes and RM6,000 for homes priced RM200,000 and below.

The household income must not be over RM8,000 for homes priced RM300,000 and below and not over RM10,000 for units priced RM400,000 and below.

Jagdeep had said on Aug 23 that there were 51,238 applicants so far of whom 24,399 applied for low-cost units, 23,582 for low medium-cost units and 3,257 for affordable units.

He said the first of the 12 projects to take off was Bandar Cassia Phase One where construction of 149 low medium-cost units and 371 affordable units began last year.

He said the projects in Teluk Kumbar, Jalan S.P. Chelliah, Bandar Cassia Phase Four and Kampung Jawa Butterworth were expected to start by the end of this year.

Projects in Jelutong, Pintasan Cecil, the Sandilands foreshore in Jalan C.Y. Choy, Bandar Cassia Phase Seven, Ampang Jajar, Mak Mandin and Bukit Mertajam were expected to start next year. - The Star