SHAH ALAM, Mar 13 – The state government has set a one-year target to solve the problem of urban settlers still living in squatter settlement sites particularly in the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) area.
 
Chairman for the Permanent Committee on Housing, Building Management and Squatters, Iskandar A. Samad said there were still about 1,385 squatter families living in the area, which made it the highest number in Selangor. 
 
Iskandar said they were taking an optimistic approach in settling this problem, which included holding discussions with Barisan Nasional (BN) State Assemblymen (Aduns).
 
“I will be calling government and non-government Aduns in the squatter areas involved for discussions,” he said in reply to additional questions by Dato’Subahan Kamal (BN-Taman Templer) whether he would be open to informing Aduns in the affected squatter areas on current updates relating to the situation.
 
Earlier, in reply to M.Manoharan (DAP-Kota Alam Shah), he said the overall number of settlers who were still in these sites amounted to 3,964 families with 1,385 families recorded in the MPS area and 1,075 in the Klang City Council (MPK) area.
 
He added, the Malay community was the highest number involved at 72.3 per cent, followed Indians at 19.5 per cent, Chinese 7.3 per cent and others at 0.9 per cent.
 
He said the state government adopted the discussion approach which would also involve local authorities (PBT) in handling this issue.
 
He added that urban settlers would be offered low cost houses at RM35,000 with a subsidy of RM7,000. 
 
He said the state government had also expanded a special scheme for urban settlers who faced problems getting housing loans which so far had been introduced to the former squatters of Kampung Rimba Jaya.
 
Besides that, he said, the landowners had also offered urban settlers the land they lived on at prices below the current market value.
 
He added, the state government would continue its policy to hold discussions with these settlers.
 
“Even if it takes time, it is more humanitarian than demolishing their homes just like that,” he said. – NOOR ALLIA KASSIM