PENANG wants clarification on whether the state has to approve other federal property projects before Perumahan Rakyat 1Malaysia (PR1MA) homes can be built.

State Housing Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said it was worrying that PR1MA projects seemed to be categorised by federal authorities as ‘phase three’, while phase one involved 9,444 low and medium-cost units and affordable houses by federal agencies JKP Sdn Bhd and Penang Regional Development Authority (Perda).

“This is the first time we are hearing that PR1MA is under a third phase.

“Never before was it said that building PR1MA houses in Penang was subject to the state government’s approval of other federal housing projects,” Jagdeep told a press conference in Komtar on Thursday.

Jagdeep said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Dr Shahidan Kasim had written to him on Nov 25 stating that PR1MA was studying several locations for its affordable housing project.

He said PR1MA chief executive officer Datuk Abdul Mutalib Alias had, on May 13, sent a letter stating that they were finalising agreements with developers to start construction.

“None of these letters described PR1MA homes being under a third phase. We need clarification on what is happening now,” Jagdeep said.

This was in response to Penang Federal Action Council chairman Datuk Seri Zainal Abidin Osman’s statement on Sunday that the Federal Government was still awaiting approval for the phase one and two housing plans before implementing PR1MA.

Zainal Abidin, who is also state Umno chairman, had added that phase two involved 25,000 houses.

He lambasted Penang for harping on PR1MA projects when other federal agency projects were not approved by the state government.

Jagdeep said the state government had strong reasons to reject earlier proposals from the federal agencies.

“Most of the 9,444 proposed units were not affordable as they were priced as high as RM1.85mil each on the island and RM800,000 on the mainland, way over our ceiling prices of RM400,000 on the island and RM250,000 on the mainland,” he said.