SPNB HOUSING LONG OVERDUE COMPLETION

DELAY….The unfinished Vista Minitod housing with the uncompleted kindergarten and surau at the background.

THE LONG overdue completion of the ‘Vista Minitod’ housing project by the SPNB (Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad) housing had caused much anger and frustration among the buyers who had waited for many years and could be some more years to wait on before the housing project is finally to be completed.

The purchasers of this ill-fated housing project complained to the KK MP Hiew King Cheu through e-mails and phone calls urging him to highlight the issue and to check on why the housing project is unable to be completed as per schedule. The delay is already one year now and it would take at least one more year to complete.

The Sabah DAP visited the site and found that there are many items of work uncompleted and left idle. The outstanding work includes the construction of the access roads, building work, water supply and power supply system, sewerage system, completion of the 10 units shops, surau, kindergarten, playground and other associated facilities. There is much work to be carried out in this SPNB housing, while the purchasers continue to wait on and paying the banks on their loans.

MP Hiew later learnt that the delay in the completion is mainly due to some financial constrains of the SPNB which is directly under the Federal Ministry of Housing and Local Government. The other problems is due to the main assess road which is coming in from the Bundusan Beverly Hill side.

The difficulty of constructing the access road is due to the excavation of rock which needed blasting. The water supply to the housing also faced problems and cannot be connected from the Beverly Hill, and now JAS (Jabatan Air) had allowed the connection be made along the Minitod/Kasigui road where there is a bigger water main. This also faced other problem like gaining right of way through private land.

MP Hiew said all the problems on the delay had turned the original concept of the ‘Affordable Home’ into some heavy burden to many house purchasers to pay extra rental for a dwelling else way. Many had said they have been spending extra money which including transportation cost and additional expenses daily. These purchasers actually are low income group who can only afford to buy low cost apartment unit. Very sadly now the ‘Affordable home’ has become ‘unaffordable home’.

The SPNB had many housing projects spread out in Sabah and surprising enough there are many housing project under them had either stop work and abandoned completely. There two big projects in Sandakan faced the same faith. This is something not acceptable and we must do something about it.

There are too many people who had stuck in these projects and their money stuck too. Why is this happening and why the Ministry did not do anything the speed up the progress and get the houses completed immediately. What happened to the promises of the BN to provide a roof for Malaysian?

We want to see some immediate action to complete the VISTA MINITOD housing project and cannot let these poor house buyers to suffer further.