Kedah, Kelantan governments urge to expedite land ownership for three PPR projects

KUALA NERANG - The Local Government Development Ministry (KPKT) has requested that the Kedah and Kelantan state government expedite the change in land ownership to enable the handover of People’s Housing Project (PPR) units to their respective homebuyers.

Its deputy minister, Ikmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir said currently there were three PPRs - the Kuala Nerang PPR, the Air Hitam PPR in Jerlun, Kedah and Macang PPR in Kelantan - that were held up due to land ownership issues and the cooperation of both state governments was required to settle the matter.

"Because this is a long-standing matter, where we have already spent the funds and completed the project, and the ministry has fulfilled all conditions, so we hope that the state governments will cooperate where the land ownership change is concerned as the recipients of the offer letters today are Kedah residents. This isn’t about the Federal Government or the state government, the ones who benefit are the people of Kedah,” he told reporters after the Kuala Nerang PPR offer letter handover ceremony here today.

About 50 recipients of the second phase of the project received their offer letters today at the ceremony, which was also attended by KPKT secretary-general Datuk M Noor Azman Taib.

Akmal said the land ownership change issue had also caused a delay in the sale of PPR units since its completion in 2019. The Kuala Nerang PPR is one of 10 built in Kedah, and has 286 single-storey terrace houses with four units dedicated for the disabled, a multipurpose hall, surau, stalls and kindergartens.

"Initially, the PPR was handed over to the Kedah state government, but the state decided that the sales would be implemented by KPKT, but the process has been delayed due to issues over th land ownership change.

"This year, the ministry agreed to implement the Rent to Own scheme for the PPR, with a period of between five and 20 years at a rental rate of RM237,” Akmal said, adding that RM500,000 was allocated for repairs to the PPR’s public amenities and damaged roads, while RM2.61 million has been channelled for maintenance and repairs for public and private strata-titled housing projects in Kedah this year.

Meanwhile, recipients of the PPR offer letters expressed their gratitude and relief after their dream of owning their very own homes have finally come true.

Afifah Osman, 49, said owning the home would make life more comfortable for her husband and their family.

"Alhamdulillah I’m so grateful because we’ve been paying monthly rental of RM300 for 23 years, which is a waste, but with this house, it is cheaper and at the end we get our own house. With my income selling kuih and my husband as a delivery rider, we really can’t afford to buy an expensive home,” the mother of five shared.

Fellow recipient, Noraini Ahmad, 63, also expressed her relief after receiving her offer letter, cementing her status as a PPR home buyer.

"I’ve been wanting to own my own house for such a long time, as I currently am staying in a wooden hut with my two school-going children. I’m a widow so I can’t afford to have a house and I am really depending on my husband’s Social Security Organisation’s (Socso) death benefit of RM1,200 monthly since he died in 2015,” she said. - BERNAMA