MERSING: The Taman Koperasi Nelayan housing project developers have been given a deadline - complete the project by the first quarter of next year or face a nationwide blacklist for all future projects.
The housing project, which was meant to be completed after the contractors were awarded its contract 17 years ago, will now face pressure to fulfil its commitment or face severe consequences.
Johor Housing and Local Government Committee chairman, Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor, said that the project's delay was due to issues with the piping systems. Currently, the units are nearly 90 per cent complete.
"However, it's been 17 years... It's unacceptable that any issues have not been resolved by now," he said.
Some 23 buyers have been waiting almost two decades to move into their homes, having already started paying towards their bank loans for the past eight years.
Jafni, who has paid several visits to the project site and met with buyers, called a meeting today with the developer and their appointed contractors. He also managed to track down the contractor based in Mentakab, Pahang, who attended the meeting.
"The meeting, held in collaboration with officers from the National Housing Department, included discussions with the original developer from Mentakab. We aim to resolve key issues, especially the defective piping system that has hampered progress. The developer and their consultants have pledged to replace all leaking pipes to meet Syarikat Air Johor's (SAJ) standards. The deadline for the pipe repairs is set for January 16, next year," Jafni said today.
Aside from the pipe repairs, the developer and contractor have also committed to submitting all remaining compliance documents, including the Certificate of Completion and Compliance (CCC), by Dec 1. These documents are essential for the Mersing District Council to conduct final inspections and issue the CCC, a requirement before homebuyers can receive their keys.
Both the Mersing District Council and the Johor State Housing Corporation will continue to monitor the project closely to ensure the developer adheres to the agreed-upon specifications and timeline. Once the developer has met all stipulated conditions, the CCC is expected to be issued in the first quarter of 2025, finally allowing the 23 buyers to move in.
Jafni, who established an abandoned project monitoring taskforce to address abandoned or "sick" housing projects in the state, said that six ailing projects, valued at over RM260.75 million, were resolved last year.
He added that while some abandoned projects are outside the state government's jurisdiction, action was still taken for the benefit of the people.
"We took on these sick and abandoned projects to fulfil one of our manifesto promises – for every Johorean to own a home. However challenging it is, my top priority is to see each project through to completion," he added.