KOTA KINABALU – The July deadline for the remaining Tg Aru low-cost flat tenants to vacate their units still stands, said Sabah Housing and Town Development Board (LPPB) chairman, Datuk Masiung Banah.
He said there will be no further extensions from LPPB, as the tenants have until after Hari Raya Aidiladha (June 29) to move out.
“We (LPPB) have been given two options. Firstly, to keep the low-cost flats. But it will cost RM12 million (for the repairs).
“Then LPPB needs around RM2 million to RM3 million more to maintain the building every two years. If LPPB has the money, we will do it.
“But the consultant company, Ikram, has advised us (that it is) better to demolish the buildings,” he told reporters after a function here.
Residents at the low-cost flats had made it clear that they will not budge until their demands are met, including demanding a dialogue with LPPB to resolve their issues.
Tg Aru has been earmarked for the mixed-development project Tg Aru Eco Development, with the addition of resort hotels, residential areas, marinas, entertainment venues, beach clubs and dining areas, making it prime real estate in Sabah.
Masiung said LPPB has offered alternative housings to some, but advised those who refused to leave to be more cooperative and vacate the units, as they had given them ample time to look for housing elsewhere.
Along with the eviction notices first issued in May 2021, 60 tenants were offered new units elsewhere, but some refused.
A total of 249 other tenants did not receive an offer.
The tenants were initially given until the end of 2021 to relocate, with LPPB citing safety reasons in the 50-year-old apartment buildings.
Masiung said developers have eyed the land where the low-cost flats are located for many years, but the present state government has not decided on the kind of development.
An independent consultant was hired to carry out tests on all 11 blocks of the Tg Aru low-cost flats last year.
Sabah’s People’s Housing Project Renting Guideline 2012 allows a maximum of 10 years for each renter to stay in the LPPB low-cost housing unit until which time they need to find their own homes.
Currently, over 50,000 applications are on the LPPB waiting list. – The Vibes, June 23, 2023
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