Lower land premium for fire stations sought

SHAH ALAM: The Selangor government should not charge high land premiums on land plots meant for fire stations, said Tan Sri Noh Omar.

The urban wellbeing, housing and local government minister said the PKR-led state government should consider that two projects to build fire stations in Setia Alam, here, and Bukit Rahman Putra in Sungai Buloh, were meant for the public’s benefits.

Noh said the ministry would make an appeal to the state government to lower the RM5 million land premium on the land in Setia Alam and RM2.4 million (Bukit Rahman Putra).

He said this was aimed at lowering the costs to build the fire stations and to ensure that the projects can be completed in time.

“We will file an appeal to the state government.

“It is not that we are asking for the premium to be waived, but the charge should be reasonable, maybe RM500,000 should be okay.

“Besides, the state government is not losing anything as the land plots are not owned by the state, they are surrendered by property developers to the state government for fire stations to be built.

“The state government must not take advantage and try to profit out of thin air, as in the end, the people would be the one at loss from such act,” he said at Selangor Umno headquarters, here yesterday.

Noh called for the press conference following Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azmin Ali’s latest statement regarding the issue.

Azmin’s office had on Wednesday issued a statement saying that land premium for fire stations in Selangor is given 75 per cent discount, as per a Selangor executive council decision in 1997.

The statement came about after Noh had, a day earlier, raised the issue again, urging the state administration to not take advantage by charging RM5 million for the land premium for the Setia Alam plot and RM2.4 million on the site in Bukit Rahman Putra.