80 get free houses in Taman Ladang Kalidonia

Eighty residents of the estate in Taman Ladang Kalidonia, South Seberang Perai, will receive free housing after a settlement was reached during negotiations initiated by the Penang government which began in 2016.

At a press conference in Komtar today, Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy said this is a "historical" moment where the residents can finally own replacement units.

The units will be built on 6ha of state land, which was acquired by the Chief Minister's Incorporated (CMI) for the purpose of residential development in September, and will be developed in two phases by Eco Horizons Sdn Bhd, he added. 

"The development will not interrupt the lives of the residents in any way. They will only be relocating when they move into their new units," Ramasamy said.

"The residents are being given replacement units as they are considered original occupants of the land after living there for many years.

"We have been negotiating for years, and have finally reached a proper settlement".

Spanning two phases involving 272 units sized at 650sq ft (60sq m) each, the project will kick off in March 2020.

The RM50 million project will see Eco Horizons build 112 units to be completed in 2022 in the first phase, and 160 in phase II by 2025.

Also present at the event was Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, assemblypersons Satees Muniandy (Bagan Dalam) and Jason H'ng (Jawi) and representatives from Seberang Perai City Council and Penang Development Corporation.

The good news comes after some 150 estate workers protested peacefully outside the Parliament building last week to demand Putrajaya enact an estate housing law which would ensure their housing long after their contracts have been terminated.

At the agreement signing ceremony today, Chow said the developer will build Type A affordable housing units (low-cost homes costing RM42,000 each) on Taman Ladang Kalidonia.

Chow said the development in Kalidonia was in line with the Penang government's 2030 policy of a smart, green and family-orientated city.

"The families here will get free houses with facilities and a more conducive living environment so they can live comfortably," he said.

"Priority will be given to the estate residents to own the units.

"Any remaining ones will be offered to those who have registered for affordable homes, especially to low-income earners, with the state government," he added.

Eco Horizon, a company under the Eco World Development Group Berhad, was given the project as it had performed well in developing others like Eco Terraces in Paya Terubong, Eco Meadows in Simpang Ampat and Eco Horizons in Batu Kawan, Chow said.

"We thank Eco World and Eco Horizons for the commitment shown thus far in its cooperation with the state government," he added. - Mkini