HOUSING and Local Government (KPKT) Minister Nga Kor Ming said the proposed Urban Renewal Bill (URB) would help accelerate the process of rehabilitating and redeveloping urban areas, especially those with buildings deemed unfit for occupation.
"This legislation is crucial, especially for buildings that are no longer safe to live in," he said in a statement on Saturday. "We are emphasising the urgent need to enact this law."
According to previous reports, the bill is expected to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat during the July 2025 parliamentary sitting.
Nga said the draft had already undergone legal review by the Attorney General’s Chambers and was presented to the Cabinet in March.
To raise awareness among lawmakers about the importance of the bill, Nga said the ministry will organise a special site visit in Kuala Lumpur for Members of Parliament on April 29.
“I would like to invite all MPs, including opposition representatives, to join the ministry in visiting dilapidated urban areas and to study successful urban renewal projects that have been carried out,” he said.
The field visit will include inspections of run-down flats to observe the difficult living conditions faced by residents, as well as tours of previously deteriorating housing areas that have been redeveloped into modern and livable communities.
“Our goal is to demonstrate the potential of the Urban Renewal Bill in revitalising unsafe and neglected urban zones and ultimately improving the lives of the people,” he added.
To facilitate the initiative, the ministry has arranged for three buses to transport MPs from Parliament to various sites in the capital, where they will witness first-hand the poor conditions in low-cost flats that urgently require attention. - April 26, 2025
