JOHOR BARU: The Johor state government will punish errant property developers who fail to build affordable homes by freezing entire development projects and publicly naming the developers to shame them.
Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the state government had approved the building of over 180,000 affordable housing units (costing RM150,000 or less) by developers since 1999, but only 21,000 units had been built.
Mohamed Khaled said the Johor Baru district had the largest shortfall with 113,000 units, followed by Kulaijaya with 40,000 units, Batu Pahat with 11,000 units, and the balance in other districts.
“We are serious about tackling the issue of providing affordable houses in Johor, and no developers will be left off the hook," Mohamed Khaled told reporters on Sunday.
He said this at the groundbreaking ceremony of 630 affordable apartment units at Taman Molek by Tanjung Bintang Sdn Bhd.
Mohamed Khaled said a task force has been set up in all 10 districts to oversee the implementation of the affordable housing scheme and to monitor housing-related matters in the state.
He said the state government would also confiscate the land belonging to property developers who fail to build affordable houses for the people.
Mohamed Khaled said the right to take the land was provided for under the National Land Code 1965 while the state’s new Housing Enactment, to be enforced early next year, allows the state government to confiscate land.
"No developer wants its entire project to be frozen, we also do not want to penalise them, but you have to take unpopular measures for the benefit of the people," he said.
Mohamed Khaled said 28,000 units of affordable homes would be built in Johor over the next five years, with 20,000 units in Iskandar Malaysia.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Cancel anytime. No ads. Auto-renewal. Unlimited access to the web and app. Personalised features. Members rewards.
Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!