Govt committed to solve housing woes in Bintulu — Abg Johari
BINTULU: The prices of houses in Bintulu are beyond the reach of many ordinary people here and the Sarawak government is committed to solve this by opening up new areas in Jepak to build more affordable houses.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg yesterday reiterated his desire to solve the housing problem in Bintulu.
He said Jepak would see a huge transformation when the bridge connecting it to Bintulu town is completed. It will open up the area for more development projects in the near future.
He said he had asked the Sarawak Public Works Department to open a tender for the (housing) project by end of this year with construction expected to commence in January next year.
Abang Johari said once the bridge is completed, the Jepak area would be opened to more economic opportunities as it would also become the new administrative centre for Bintulu similar to Petra Jaya in Kuching.
You can call it Jepak Jaya or whatever you like but surely it will benefit the local people in the long run. With this new area, the pressure for housing will be less and the prices can be controlled. It will also provide good communication and transportation. — Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg, Chief Minister
“You can call it Jepak Jaya or whatever you like but surely it will benefit the local people in the long run. With this new area, the pressure for housing will be less and the prices can be controlled. It will also provide good communication and transportation,” he said.
He said this when responding to a question raised by Temenggong Rosli Kamaruddin on the social impact of development to the local people due to the migration of people to Bintulu, especially on affordable housing, during the Bintulu Townhall session and development exhibition at the civic centre here yesterday.
The session was held in conjunction with Bintulu Development Authority (BDA) 40th anniversary. Abang Johari later declared open the development exhibition at the ground floor of the centre.
The chief minister also said this (opening up Jepak) was a long-term plan of the Sarawak government to reduce the prices of houses in Bintulu, which are known to be the most expensive properties in the country due to its rapid industrial growth. He also said the Sarawak government had reduced land premium of low income resettlement areas by 50 per cent.