GEORGE TOWN, Sept 10 (Bernama) – The Penang state government has defended the eviction of residents from the Taman Manggis People's Housing Project (PPR) here, saying they no longer meet eligibility requirements and that the move is meant to make way for those genuinely in need of housing.
State Housing and Environment Committee chairman Datuk Seri S. Sundarajoo said the exercise is being carried out in stages and that affected residents were allowed to appeal and given a reasonable period to move out.
He said three-month eviction notices were issued in March, and residents who applied for an extension were granted a further three months. Some cases, he added, were given leeway until December.
"We are not evicting them all at once. We want to ensure that the cases we handle have truly been reviewed and that they are no longer eligible.
"If there is a genuine problem, they can come and discuss it. We understand the people's difficulties, and for those who need a little more time, we have already given it," he said at a press conference at KOMTAR today.
Sundarajoo said the Penang State Housing Board (LPNPP) has also offered alternative housing units to several affected residents, including through a rent-to-own scheme, but some declined the offers, partly due to location factors.
He said the state government cannot keep granting unlimited extensions, as there are still many low-income earners without housing who need assistance, including those placed temporarily at transit centres.
He said background checks found that some residents were in a better financial position, owning luxury vehicles and high-powered motorcycles, as well as registered businesses under their own names.
"If these units are not vacated, how can we help those who genuinely need them? We have to make way for those who are truly eligible, because we also face a constraint on units," he said.
Sundarajoo said action had been taken on 19 units so far, while 103 other cases would go through the process in phases, with background and eligibility checks conducted before any eviction.
He said the state government also had no written record of claims that Taman Manggis PPR residents had been promised the chance to buy the units, and urged anyone with relevant documents to submit them to the LPNPP.
Earlier, residents of Taman Manggis PPR facing eviction appealed to the state government for a reasonable period to find new housing before their units were vacated.
It was previously reported that Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said enforcement action against Taman Manggis PPR residents was taken after a process of review, appeal and extension.
He said the action also took into account the needs of other applicants who had long been waiting for PPR housing.
– BERNAMA