By Diana Abd Wahab
KLANG, May 22 – The Selangor government will utilise abandoned buildings, particularly in commercial areas, as temporary housing for foreign workers, says state executive councillor for local government Ng Sze Han.
Ng expressed his confidencce that the initiative would be able to indirectly address social issues and the accommodation of workers involved.
“The buildings, especially in commercial areas, would be used as TLQ (Temporary Living Quarters) to facilitate the transfer of foreign workers from apartment housing.
“It may not be suitable for everyone, but we hope that the employers can liaise with urban planners to help them provide appropriate accommodation for foreign workers,” he told the press after the launch of the Workers’ Dormitory Seminar: Supporting Competitive City of Selangor in Bandar Bukit Tinggi, here today.
Without disclosing the number of abandoned or neglected buildings in the state, Ng said that guidelines for the housing of foreign workers have been established, taking into account the challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“During the Covid-19 outbreak, the infection had spread rapidly at the living quarters of foreign workers due to the poor management of their housing.
“This made it challenging for the authorities to take remedial action,” he added.
On January 28 of last year, Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari announced that the state government would develop more worker housing complexes to safeguard their welfare and facilitate monitoring.
The Menteri Besar said that the state administration identified a 200-acre location to build housing complexes to accommodate 60,000 workers.
The development of the Selangor Workers’ Housing Complex in eight locations will be constructed by the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) and to also include amenities such as laundromats, restaurants, and convenience stores.
