KUCHING, Sept 5: Seventy-eight units of detached and semi-detached houses being built at Darul Hana for Malay villagers will be completed by the middle of next year, meaning those selected by the Special Select Committee will then be able to move in.
According to Sarawak Housing Development Corporation (HDC) chief executive officer Mohd Asman Ahmad, work on this project across Sarawak River started in November last year.
“Those who will move to these 78 units have been selected by the Special Select Committee as they need to be urgently relocated based on their present housing conditions. Those selected are from Kampung Semarang, Kampung Pulo Ulu, Kampung Pulo Hilir and Kampung Panglima Seman,” Asman told DayakDaily here today.
While the 78 units are situated just adjacent to the Darul Hana Mosque, another 462 units will be built behind the Petronas station, which is opposite the Darul Hana Mosque. All these 540 units of houses — ranging from single, double-storey terrace, single and double-storey semi-detached and detached houses — will be fully completed in 2021, and the whole area will be a happening place by then.
Asman said the 2,526 house owners from 12 Malay villages who will be resettled at the housing projects in Darul Hana Development Programme in the next 15 years would be compensated with houses of equal value to their present properties.
The twelve villages are Kampung Boyan, Kampung Gersik, Kampung Surabaya Ulu, Kampung Surabaya Hilir, Kampung Panglima Seman Ulu, Kampung Panglima Seman Lama, Kampung Semarang, Kammpung Pulo Ulu, Kampung Pulo Hilir, Kampung Bintawa Ulu, Kampung Bintawa Tengah and Kampung Bintawa Hilir.
Meanwhile, Daru Hana Incorporation advisor Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi, who is also Pantai Damai assemblyman, said the Darul Hana project would benefit some 4,278 families from the 12 villages. They have a combined population of about 16,655 people.
He also described the deal between the villages and the government as the “best deal” for both parties as they (house owners) will in return have the opportunity to have shares in various properties in future development of their former land by Darul Hana Incorporation.
The idea of developing Darul Hana, with a land size of 722 acres, was mooted by then Chief Minister Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud in April 2011. He envisioned transforming the area into an ultra-modern area but still retaining the Malay traditional architecture.
“They will be moving to new houses, which are landed properties, similar to what they have now in terms of costing. So it’s going to be a win-win situation between the villages and the government. So I can say that this is the best deal for both parties,” stressed Dr Abdul Rahman.
Additionally, the extended families of the house owners are also eligible to buy three-bedroom apartments in Darul Hana in future.
Dr Abdul Rahman, who is also the Assistant Minister of Rural Electricity, pointed out that the development of the Darul Hana Development Programme was a long-term plan to address the current problems faced by residents of the 12 villages.
The Darul Hana project is spearheaded by the Land Custody and Development Authority (LCDA) and with HDC as the developer and Daya Builders Sdn Bhd as the main contractor. — DayakDaily
