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KUALA LUMPUR: Ignorance of guidelines will no longer be an
excuse for government officers who approve housing projects in
environmentally sensitive areas like hillslopes. In a move to
cut down on excuses among these officers, the Housing and Local
Government Ministry now requires them to attend courses, which will
stipulate the guidelines before any approval is given for such
projects.
Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said he had instructed his officers to plan for the courses yesterday.
“This is to make sure they follow the guidelines and prevent problems
of development in environmentally sensitive areas,” he told reporters
after opening the Chinese Export Commodities Exhibition and Investment
Conference (Malaysia) 2004 at the Putra World Trade Centre here.
On another matter, Ong said his ministry would not condone any
developers who used inferior building materials or failed to comply
with specifications on the sales and purchase agreement.
Action could be taken under relevant laws, like the Housing Development Act, he added.
“Please submit your complaints to my ministry's enforcement unit.
“We (the ministry) have to investigate first,” Ong said, when asked to comment on reports of such cases.
Opening the event earlier, he said it would be a win-win partnership
when Malaysia and China, with their different strengths, team up for
overseas ventures, particularly in South-East Asia.
He added that China, with a population of 1.3 billion, has Malaysia as
its largest South-East Asian trading partner, and the seventh largest
worldwide.
Chinese ambassador to Malaysia Wang Chungui, who supported the win-win
partnership, described it as opening a new era of economic cooperation.
At another function in Sungai Petani, Ong said developers must not
cheat house buyers of their hard earned money by delivering low quality
or shoddy houses.
Stern action would be taken against such developers, he told reporters after opening the Seri Astana housing project here.
Ong added: “Many people can only afford to buy one house in their
lifetime. It is their hard earned money and they have the right to
demand for quality houses.”
He said the Housing Tribunal which heard complaints from house buyers
had the right to order errant developers to compensate for any shoddy
work or sub-standard houses delivered to buyers.
source: The Star, 17-12-2004
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