JOHOR BARU: Johor's Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar has expressed disappointment with the poor level of maintenance and cleanliness at low-cost flats in the state.
Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar said that many of the flats were in bad condition and had a lot of rubbish strewn all over.
"Some of these places have also become breeding grounds for pests and insects.
"I am saddened by this situation and it looks like the rakyat are living in chicken pens," he said.
Sultan Ibrahim said he hoped that the Federal Government could provide allocations to improve conditions in old flats and that dwellers would need to be responsible to maintain its cleanliness.
He also expressed his unhappiness with services provided by concession company SWM Environment Sdn Bhd.
"The state government is forced to pay up to RM180mil each year to SWM but their cleaning and garbage collection services are not satisfactory," he added.
He also questioned the SWM agreement, which he described as "watertight" as it cannot be questioned.
"Although there have been a lot of complaints about their poor services, this still has not changed," he said.
Sultan Ibrahim had earlier received Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming who paid him a courtesy visit, along with his deputy Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir, at Istana Bukit Serene here.
