Selangor govt taken to task

> Noh Omar blames state administration for deplorable conditions of Public Housing Projects

KUALA LUMPUR: The Selangor government is to be blamed for the deplorable conditions of the Public Housing Projects (PPR) in the state, said Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Tan Sri Noh Omar.

He attributed this to the fact that the PPR flats are managed by local bodies that are under the state government’s authority.

“As minister, I will do what I can to help alleviate the people’s burdens, but the main responsibility lies with the state government.

“I don’t have the full authority to order anyone as the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) is filled with political appointees (from the Opposition). I can’t do anything,” Noh told a press conference after visiting the Taman Tasik Tambahan PPR.

Earlier in his speech, he said if MPAJ councillors were all Umno members and if the party was still in power in Selangor, then he could have easily ordered them to quickly solve many of the residents’ problems.

Noh, who is Tanjung Karang MP, said the litany of issues facing PPRs, including malfunctioning lifts, leaking roofs and clogged pipes, was the result of poor management by the state government.

It is unfair for the state government to say PPR residents bear the responsibility of paying maintenance fees for upkeep and environmental hygiene, he said, adding the Opposition should stop blaming everyone else but themselves for its failure in administering Selangor.

He accused Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, and by extension the Opposition, of playing politics instead of serving the people of Selangor.

He pledged RM400,000 in allocation to help solve problems facing the Taman Tasik Tambahan PPRs, including replacing the roofs of the four blocks of flats.

Noh said he will consider providing more funds but the residents must write to him to specify the amount needed and the purpose.