KUCHING, May 6: A total of 2,526 homes from Malay villages along Sungai Sarawak, from Kampung Boyan to Kampung Bintawa Hilir, will be relocated and each household provided free modern housing under the Darul Hana Development project.
The project, which started its planning phase in 2011, would be built on some 721 acres of land near Jalan Tun Datuk Patinggi Abang Haji Muhammad Salahuddin here, and would involve the relocation of 16,655 villagers from 4,278 families or 2,526 homes.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg during his walkabout at the site this afternoon said it would take at least 15 years for the relocation programme to be fully completed after the Darul Hana Development plan is completed.
Villagers would be given a free modern house per household. The type of house would depend on the value of their existing land plot at their current village, he said.
“Just pack your clothes and bring your bags. No loans, no payment, no attachments. The type of house you will get is based on the value of your current land at your ‘kampung’,” said Abang Johari.
For the first phase of the relocation programme, a total of 664 houses would be built within three years, involving Kampung Panglima Seman Lama, Kampung Semarang and Kampung Pulo Ulu.
The types of houses for the first phase were single-storey terrace houses, double-storey terrace houses, double-storey semi-detached houses, and a limited number of two-storey bungalows. The construction of townhouses are also in consideration.
“After you move in later, do not sell your new houses. Your new assets would worth no less than RM300,000 per household. It would take at least 15 to 20 years to relocate all the villages to Darul Hana so for those still waiting in line, please be patient,” said Abang Johari.
Meanwhile, Assistant Minister of Rural Electricity Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi who is also Pantai Damai assemblyman, said the project was first mooted by the then Chief Minister Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud in 2009.
He tasked the then Housing Minister Abang Johari to redevelop the Malay villages along Sungai Sarawak to improve their living conditions and livelihood.
“The success of the project is thanks to the concern of Taib and Abang Johari, as well as our Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. The issue at the time was that villagers wanted to build extensions or another house for their extended family living on the same plot, but there was not enough land space.
“Some of them could afford to buy houses outside of their ‘kampung’ but most could not afford to do so and had to stay with their parents or grandparents at their ‘kampung’ house, sometimes up to four extended families per house. This (Darul Hana) development is the most welcome solution,” said Abdul Rahman.
He said for those with a large extended family and would need another house in the Darul Hana Development project, it could be sorted out later after the first phase is completed some time in 2020.
Meanwhile, Abang Johari also announced an allocation of RM8.6 million to build an Islamic Garden at the current Masjid Darul Hana. This was not only to beautify the landscaping around the mosque, which is the first completed building at the Darul Hana Development project, but also to accommodate wedding photoshoots as well as to attract visitors and tourists.
Apart from that, Abang Johari also announced that effective today, the land premium for scheme housing would be reduced to RM2,000 from RM5,000, and the cost for all roadworks and drainage for scheme housing projects would be covered by the state government. — DayakDaily
