HOUSING
issues have always been one of the most anticipated topics when the curtains of
the State Legislative Councils (LegCo) Meetings are raised as ongoing projects
to provide home to tens of thousands of waiting Bruneians fall under the
spotlight and get reviewed for its efficiency, liveability and delivery time.
Issues of providing housing schemes in Mukim
Labi and Mukim Bukit Sawat in Belait, vertical housing and the creation of a
National Housing Fund were among the "hot" topics that were mentioned
at the seventh LegCo sessions last year.
Facing a shortage of land for development,
coupled with rising housing demands over a shorter period of time, the Ministry
of Development still has a mountain to climb in overcoming tricky situations in
the coming years and will surely be put under immense pressure in the upcoming
parliamentary meeting.
In the last LegCo proceedings, the issue of
whether the Housing Development Department would provide housing schemes in
Mukim Labi and Mukim Bukit Sawat to avoid more residents there from moving to
other areas were brought up by a member of the meeting YB Hj Mohd Shafiee
Ahmad.
He raised concerns that there were more people
moving out of the mukim (sub-districts) to Seria and Lumut.
Development Minister Pehin Orang Kaya Indera
Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Suyoi Hj Osman responded that the issue had been
discussed in the ministry before in their continuous efforts to seek suitable
future housing sites.
"InsyaAllah, if needed in the future,
maybe we cannot decide the matter today, but there could be a possibility of
doing the housing schemes there," said the minister.
To date, housing schemes in these areas have
yet to be provided.
Meanwhile, the idea of vertical housing was
mooted at the seventh LegCo meetings, as a means to resolve the "gap"
in the waiting list for public housing, which is expected to reach 32,000
applicants by 2014.
Earlier in January this year, the Development
Minister announced that the construction of the first vertical housing under
the National Housing Scheme will begin in 2012 in the Brunei-Muara District.
"At the beginning, the project involves
the construction of the six-storey vertical housing which will provide about
320 unit houses in Kg Lambak Kanan," Pehin Dato Hj Suyoi said.
To make the vertical housing more appealing to
the public, the schemes would also see the construction of public facilities
which include shops, a community centre, a nursery school, a prayer hall, a
playground and sports area.
It will also apply the design of an
environmentally friendly building concept, to address the issue of climate
change.
The last LegCo session also heard suggestions
for the establishment of a National Housing Fund to help future homeowners save
up and avoid becoming delinquent home loan borrowers.
State LegCo Member Orang Kaya Maha Bijaya Hj
Othman Uking proposed the creation of the fund with the aim of reducing unpaid
home loans under the National Housing Scheme (NHS).
Under the proposed housing fund, any
government or private sector employee can deposit at least $50 a month, said
OKMB Hj Othman.
He suggested that the monthly deposit could be
higher or equivalent to five per cent of the monthly income.
Development Minister said the ministry was
considering the idea.
"Should this idea become a workable one,
it can be one of the mechanisms which allow ... (homeowners) to repay their
loans through the fund," he said, adding that in some instances,
homeowners get their houses only when nearing retirement, which makes repayment
even harder.
Marzuke Hj Mohsin, former director of the
Housing Development Department under the Ministry of Development, said from a
conceptual angle, the idea was "very good as it encourages early
savings".
He added that department officials are looking
at different avenues in reducing unpaid home loans under the NHS.
However, as of today, this initiative is yet
to be undertaken by the relevant authority and could possibly become a
returning issue at the upcoming LegCo sessions.
Another issue that could also make its way
into the meeting hall is the status of the construction of 65 new homes in the
open area of Mukim Peramu and Mukim Saba under the "Upgrading Pilot
Project for Kampong Ayer".
Funded by His Majesty the Sultan and Yang
Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, the project is hoped to be the first of many
that could spread out to other areas in Kampong Ayer.
The construction of the $31.3 million project
commenced on April 2 last year and was initially slated for completion in
November the same year; however, the project has been delayed and is now
scheduled to be completed by early this year.
FITRI SHAHMINAN
The Brunei Times
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