No Plans To Revise Price Of Low-Cost House

KUALA LUMPUR, March 21 (Bernama) -- The government has no plans to revise the price of low-cost houses even though there have been requests for a review from developers following the rise in the price of construction materials, the Lower House of Parliament was told Wednesday. Housing and Local Government Minister Chor Chee Heung said the decision was made after taking into consideration the cost of living and the expenses borne by those with a monthly income of RM2,500 (about US$810) and below. The decision was also to enable this group to buy a house, he said in reply to a question from MP Liang Teck Meng . The government, however, would look into whether there was a need to review the price, which has been set at RM42,000 (US$13,612) per unit, he said. Meanwhile, he said under the 10th Malaysia Plan, the ministry planned to build 38,000 units of low-cost houses through the People's Housing Programme in places like Penang, Perlis, Sabah, Pahang and Kuala Lumpur. He urged those earning RM2,500 and below and living in squatter areas who have yet to own a house to register with the local authorities through an online facility. "We will then know the actual number of units required," he said. To a supplementary question from MP Nurul Izzah Anwar, claiming that there were foreigners who managed to own low-cost housing units, Chor said there were no such cases. He did not rule out the possibility that some owners might have rented out their house to this group. Housing projects carried out by state governments are not monitored by the federal government, he said. -- BERNAMA