Penang Housing, Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo has urged the Urban, Wellness, Housing and Local Government Ministry to clarify whether there are still funds in the 1Malaysia Maintenance Fund (TP1M).
He said he wrote to the ministry on June 12 to check on the status of the 114 applications by low-cost (LC) and low medium-cost (LMC) flats in Penang to obtain aid from TP1M.
He added that he received a reply on July 8 that the ministry was still in the midst of taking over the portfolios of Urban and Wellness, which was formerly under the Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Ministry.
He also said that of the 114 applications, only one from Penang for Taman Emas, Sungai Batu in Teluk Kumbar, was approved.
“However, when the Saujana Heights Apartments joint management body (JMB) approached me with a letter from the ministry dated April 24, I was shocked by what it said,” Jagdeep Singh said during a press conference last week.
“The ministry stated it could not carry out maintenance works due to lack of funds,” he said.
“If the ministry lacked funds, why did they give me a different reply?”
Jagdeep Singh said he had also sent another letter on Sept 19 to ask the ministry whether it had funds in the TP1M.
“If there are no more funds, the state government has decided on a new formula to use the state’s RM50mil allocation under the Housing Assistance Programme of Penang, Yes! (HAPPY!) for the maintenance of the flats.
“Under the TP1M, the Federal Government will subsidise the maintenance of LC and LMC units throughout the country, at a 90:10 and 70:30 ratio respectively,” he said.
He added that the balance of 10% and 30% would be borne by the state under HAPPY!.
He hoped the ministry would reply in two weeks.
Saujana Heights Apartments JMB chairman A. Joseph said the cost of the maintenance would be nearly RM1mil.
Funds are need to repair a faulty lift, broken roofing, leaking water tanks and cracks while painting work is also needed.
“Yes, we do collect maintenance fees monthly from the residents, but this is not enough as the amount needed is just too big,” he added. - By The Star
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