THE Jelajah ❤️ Penang campaign may be held again following the success and requests from the community in Penang.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow hinted at the possibility of having another round of the Jelajah ❤️ Penang campaign.
“Today, the Jelajah ❤️ Penang in Tanjong marks the final leg of the Jelajah ❤️ Penang campaign, after having completed 12 other parliamentary constituencies over the past few months.
“We will consider the people’s requests to have another round of Jelajah ❤️ Penang.
“In general, the support from the community was very encouraging. The campaign allows us to engage with the local communities, understand their situation, and address issues faced by the people.
“It also allows us to keep up with the progress of community projects which are provided for the people,” Chow told a media conference at the Cecil Residency project site in Pengkalan Kota today.
Prioritising and improving people’s liveability and quality of life
Cecil Residency is a low medium-cost (LMC) housing project by Penang Development Corporation (PDC). The project consists of 348 LMC units and nine units of shop lots. The building is 24-storey high.
The construction progress of the Cecil Residency project is now at 45%, and it is scheduled to complete by quarter four of 2024.
Chow said the Penang government strives to provide affordable homes for Penangites.
“There are several affordable housing projects in George Town, which we hope could keep the population here and attract more residents to live in the city,” Chow said.
Over at Sri Saujana flat in Macallum Street Ghaut, Chow inspected the lift repair works at Block 42B.
The total cost of the project was RM236,400. The Penang government has allocated RM189,120 for the project, while the remaining will be borne by the residents.
The project is expected to be completed in March of next year.
Chow said the state government has so far spent about RM300 million to assist numerous housing schemes in various maintenance works.
“The RM300 million allocation is big. It is a huge sacrifice by the state government because of the limited resources we have.
“However, we continue to allocate funds to improve the liveability and quality of life of the people,” he said.
Meanwhile, state Local Government, Housing, Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo spoke about the state’s vision of providing 220,000 units of affordable homes by 2030.
“I am happy to share that as of now, we have reached almost 140,000 units that have been built, in various stages of being built and being planned,” he said.
At Block 358 in Macallum Street Ghaut, Chow was pleased to witness the newly replaced roof of the flat.
“The total cost of the project was RM101,510 and the residents only had to bear 20% of the total cost.
“The remaining amount was borne by the state government,” he said.
Pengkalan Kota assemblyman Daniel Gooi also allocated RM10,479 to provide a fire hose reel for the flat residents.
Also present was PDC chief executive officer Datuk Aziz Bakar.
Promoting a healthier community
Chow and his team also visited the Macallum neighbourhood park, where a portion of it would be allocated for a basketball court.
The implementing agency for the project is the northeast district and land office.
Chow and state Youth and Sports Committee chairman Soon Lip Chee were briefed by the officer-in-charge at the site.
The estimated cost of the project was RM271,022.18.
It is learnt that 55 companies had submitted their quotations to bid for the project.
Story by Christopher Tan
Pix by Siew Chia En
Video by Law Suun Ting