More houses and shops for Kubang Gajah in Perlis

Kampung Kubang Gajah will be turned into a new development area in Perlis.

A total of 1,508 units of houses and shop lots will be built on over 54 hectares of the abandoned paddy field, as part of a development by Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad (SPNB), in collaboration with Perlis Holding Sdn Bhd under the national affordable home programme.

Menteri Besar Dr Md Isa Sabu, who launched the ground-breaking ceremony of the RM180 million project here today, also expressed confidence the project would be accepted by the public as it would offer affordable homes and shop lots for between RM42,000 and RM218,000 each.

He said the project, which would be implemented in four phases, was expected to be completed in six years.

Meanwhile, SPNB managing director Prof Datuk Dr Kamarul Rashdan Salleh said the first phase would involve the construction of 572 houses, comprising low-cost, linked and semi-detached houses as well as shop-lots, at a cost of RM60 million.

He said the project was meant to be implemented in 2006, but several problems, including land acquisition, had delayed it for over four years.

Kamarul Rashdan said under the affordable home programme, SPNB, which was established in 1997, has built 35,000 such homes for the people nationwide.

He said SPNB had so far also built 15,109 houses nationwide under its “Rumah Mesra Rakyat” programme for the underprivileged.

In Perlis alone, a total of 286 houses have been built under the programme, while the construction of 39 others is ongoing, he added.

– Bernama