KUALA LUMPUR: Construction of the One Member One House (SASaR) housing for the Malaysian Armed Forces in Sungai Besi is expected to be completed by the end of next year.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said construction work involving 3,500 units had reached 65.51 per cent completion.
"Providing housing for military personnel remains a top priority for the government, especially among the housing programmes implemented by the Defence Ministry.
"For houses built in this area (Sungai Besi), we expect them to be completed by the end of next year so we can hand over the keys to those who were offered the units," he said after visiting the SASaR housing construction site today.
He added that these housing units are available to personnel within his ministry, as well as retired veterans.
Up to Feb 29, Khaled said 3,395 applicants had signed the sales and purchase agreement, 51 applicants are in the process of signing the agreement, while 54 others are awaiting loan approval.
Construction works for two more SASaR Armed Forces projects at Kem Wardieburn and at the Police Training Center (Pulapol) in Setapak are expected to commence in July.
When asked about the potential expansion of this project to other states, Khaled did not rule out the possibility, based on demand from personnel.
"The implementation elsewhere is expected to begin after obtaining all planning approvals and approval from the local authorities.
"We will use the Sungai Besi SASaR project as a pilot to observe its implementation and success before planning it for implementation elsewhere nationwide.
"There is demand in other states, but we will conduct market studies and not build as many as here.
"I believe it depends on demand and other factors in identifying suitable sites for project implementation and construction," he said.