By Norrasyidah Arshad
KUALA SELANGOR, May 6 — The quarter-century-long wait for 245 settlers from five rubber estates in Bestari Jaya to own their own homes is finally set to end.
This is after the government announced a RM75 million allocation for the development of a People’s Housing Project (PPR) for the group.
Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming said the project will be jointly funded by the Federal and state governments, with the former allocating RM40 million and the rest to be borne by Selangor.
Berjaya Corporation Bhd will provide 8.09 hectares of land at Lot 25, Sungai Tinggi Estate, here, for the project known as PPR Harmoni Madani, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
This project will involve settlers in Ladang Mary, Ladang Nigel Garder, Ladang Bukit Tagar, Ladang Sungai Tinggi, and Ladang Minyak.
“This issue has persisted since 1998. Governments have changed, but the issue has yet to be resolved.
“There are 245 families of plantation workers who are affected, which was why the matter was raised to the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) and Menteri Besar (Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari) for a resolution.
“To expedite the project, developer Pr1ma Corporation has been appointed as the implementing agency. In about two years, the project will be completed, and the residents will receive their keys,” he said during a press conference today.
Nga said the PPR development will be done in stages, with the initial phase focusing on constructing the housing block, a multipurpose hall, and a kindergarten. Other facilities will be developed later.
The minister added that prospective residents will be able to enjoy public transportation thanks to the state government’s free bus service in the area.
“The location was also chosen based on the settlers’ requests. We expect some 1,250 residents to benefit from the PPR’s development,” he said.
