The Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Ministry will use vacant government lands provided under the 2017 Budget to build 8,900 PPR houses.
SHAH ALAM: The Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Ministry will use vacant government land to build 8,900 units of People’s Housing Project (PPR) houses.
The ministry has identified plots to develop studio apartments, especially for youths.
They include two plots of land owned by the ministry in Cheras and Mukim Batu, where they plan to build 8,000 units of the “Youth Transit Studio Apartment”.
Its minister, Tan Sri Noh Omar, said the move would also see vacant land owned by other ministries to be developed for the people.
“The prime minister had announced many initiatives to own affordable homes and the ministry has two projects to focus under this budget. The first is to build 8,900 PPR houses.
“Secondly, we will build studio apartments with a mix of one-room and two-room units, to be rented out to youths at much lower rates than other apartments in the surrounding area.
“These apartments are called ‘Youth Transit Studio Apartments’ because only those in that age group are allowed to rent the units, and for a maximum of five years.”
He said the projects would be carried out by government-linked companies with minimal profit.
Noh also thanked Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak for allocating RM300 million to repair and maintain low-cost apartments and elevators in urban areas.
The announcement on affordable homes for youth without permanent jobs, including young graduates entering the job market, would encourage the group to vie for jobs in major cities.
Universiti Malaysia Kelantan’s former student council president Mogen Selvaraja said the affordable studio apartments for fresh graduates and young adults, and the RM4,000 rebate for the purchase of their first car, were useful incentives.
“The first-car incentive will allow fresh graduates like me to be mobile. The idea goes well with the 10,000 houses for rent in urban areas,” said the 22-year-old from Kuala Kangsar, Perak.
Mogen, who is expected to graduate at the end of this year, said the announcement gave him more confidence to apply for jobs in urban areas and to move to the city.
He added that most of the attractive job opportunities were in the Klang Valley.
“I’m unsure about the requirements for the two incentives, but I will surely apply for both.”
Kelantan Graduates Association president Datuk Mohd Faizal Daud said the construction of houses for youth, including young graduates entering the job market, would ease their accommodation problems.
“It was indeed a good and meaningful news for the group.
“The emphasis by the government showed that it continues to assist and look after the welfare of the people, including the young who are starting out on their own,” he said.