By Zareef Muzammil
AMPANG, Feb 4 — The Jelajah Ehsan Rakyat (JER) 2.0 roadshow, which offers basic goods at affordable prices, has been expanded to 1,200 locations throughout Selangor starting January 15 until May.
State executive councillor for agricultural modernisation and agro-based industry Izham Hashim has called the people to take advantage of the opportunity and said that the sales operated by Selangor Agricultural Development Corporation (PKPS) is available at nine locations every day except Friday.
“When we look and review the JER programme, we find that the response is very encouraging with an estimated two million people benefiting last year.
“So, this year we decided to continue the sale involving more locations until May,” he said during the JER 2.0 press conference at Taman Nirwana Community Hall, here today, adding that 711 JER locations were held last year.
Also in attendance were PKPS group chief executive officer Mohamad Khairil Mohamad Razi.
In the meantime, Izham said that he will examine the need to continue JER after May since the programme involved is temporary and aims to ease the burden of the people following the increase in the price of goods.
“Insya-Allah (God willing), we will look at the appropriateness of whether to continue or otherwise because it is an intervention programme and not a long-term programme. So, we look at the needs.
“We believe that this programme helps the people to some extent because basic necessities are very important even though we started with chicken and chicken eggs only before adding other products,” he said.
JER offers products such as standard chicken at RM10 each, fresh solid meat (RM10 per pack) and B grade eggs (RM10 per tray).
Also sold are mackerel or sardines at RM6 per pack, five kilograms (kg) of cooking oil (RM25) and five kg of rice (RM10).
Meanwhile, Izham said the Selangor government has agreed to provide RM300,000 in charitable assistance each to 15 homeowners in Taman Bukit Permai 2 near here who were affected following the landslide incident in March last year.
He said they have also offered the homeowners option to buy Rumah Selangorku due to the fact that the original residence in the area was no longer safe to occupy.
“We will call the homeowners soon to offer them the option to buy Rumah Selangorku which costs around RM200,000.
“The courtesy money (RM300,000) is more than enough for them to buy Rumah Selangorku, but that is up to the owners whether to buy it or not,” he said.
He added that the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) had issued a notice to the owners to vacate the houses involved.
The Pandan Indah assemblyman said he was told that four out of 15 families have already evacuated their homes considering the risky location and threat to safety.
“All the houses involved will be demolished because it affects the land and the cliff. If it is left, we fear that it will have bad long-term effects.
“We will make that place a ‘buffer’ to ensure that no buildings are built in that area. That is the state government’s decision,” he said.
On January 9, Izham said 15 houses there that were affected were subsequently declared unsafe because they were too close to the cliff in addition to cracks in the building structure.
A landslide incident at Taman Bukit Permai 2, Ampang March last year claimed four lives, one person was slightly injured and 15 houses and 10 vehicles were affected.
