The management of Taman Putra Damai People’s Housing Project (PPR) in Lembah Subang is still being carried out by the Selangor government, state executive councillor in charge of housing Iskandar Abdul Samad said today.

Urging residents to stop paying their rents to the Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Ministry, Iskandar directed them to do so at the existing Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) office at Block D of the eight-block PPR.

“If rentals are paid to the ministry and MBPJ does not collect enough rent to cover their maintenance cost, the residents will be faced with problems because the ministry will not carry out the maintenance works,” Iskandar said.

He said in a statement today that despite claims of a takeover by Putrajaya, the MBPJ has continued to carry out its duties for residents at the PPR.

“There are eight blocks at the PPR and four workers are assigned to clean the blocks daily.

“One worker will be on the ground floor while three others are assigned to the top floors,” said Iskandar, adding that he visited the low-cost units last Thursday.

At the same time, he said, all elevators at the PPR are also maintained by two MBPJ appointed companies, as well as technicians from its Engineering Department.

Aside from maintaining the facilities, Iskandar said, MBPJ has carried out community programmes for residents at the PPR, as part of a state government initiative to raise incomes of the urban poor.

“So the MBPJ does not only care about the facilities, but also about the communities,” the Chempaka assemblyperson added.

In 2008, the then Pakatan Rakyat federal opposition pact wrested control of Selangor for the first time, after which the ministry, in 2012, handed over the management of PPRs to the state government.

However, in August last year, Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Noh Omar announced that Putrajaya would take back several housing projects from the state, following allegations of mismanagement and lack of maintenance.

Noh at the time said that PPR Lembah Subang 1 would be the pilot project to be taken over by the federal government.

S'gor not waiting for Putrajaya

Iskandar added despite Commissioner of Buildings (COB) officers being from the federal government, the Selangor government was providing them the driving force, without which there would be no progress.

“The state government has introduced many new initiatives to solve the problems of strata housing.

“If we had to depend on the federal government, we may be left 10 years behind,” he said in a follow up statement today.

“The state government truly values the COB officers, and they receive the same care as state officers,” he added.

As an example, Iskandar said COB officers received the same two month bonus given to state officers, instead of the RM500 that federal officers received.

“Noh Omar only boasted they were federal officers after seeing their excellent performance,” he said, likening the minister to “a father who has run away from his responsibilities” after abandoning his children to others.

“And when he sees them succeeding, he boasts to all that they are his children,” said Iskandar.