Residents of the four villages affected by the RM310 million Bengoh Dam are still hopeful that they will be given free houses at the Bengoh Dam Resettlement Scheme (BDRS) although there has been no confirmation with regards to the matter.
On Saturday (March 10, 2012), during the ground breaking ceremony of the Rumah Mesra Rakyat housing project at BDRS, there was no official announcement made that the affected 204 families will get the house free.
On Saturday (March 10, 2012), during the ground breaking ceremony of the Rumah Mesra Rakyat housing project at BDRS, there was no official announcement made that the affected 204 families will get the house free.
Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment, Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan did not mention anything that the houses will be given free to them.
When reporters asked him after he performed the ground-breaking ceremony of the housing project, Awang Tengah said there was no decision made on the matter as yet.
“There was no decision made yet on the matter (free house) because our main focus now is to build the 204 units of houses and the other necessary infrastructures,” he said.
Prior to this, 204 families from four villages, namely Kampung Taba Sait, Kampung Rejoi, Kampung Pa'in/ Bojong and Kampung Semban were hoping to be given free houses in BDRS and were waiting to hear the good news from the minister last Saturday.
However, after what they heard on Saturday, it appears that they are less convinced now that they will get the houses for free.
The construction of 204 housing units with a total cost of RM19 million at BDRS, located in Radien, Penrissen will start this month and is expected to be completed by December this year.
According to the Assistant Minister of Housing, Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, the houses would be implemented by the Housing Development Corporation (HDC), through its contractor Naim Engineering Sdn Bhd.
Awang Tengah said the money is from the state government and is hoping that the federal government will reimburse the amount to the state government.
Each unit is going to be built on a 24-point plot of land and equipped with three bedrooms.
A total of 204 families should have moved to the resettlement scheme in 2010 but was delayed due to the housing problems.
The affected villagers demanded that they be given free houses at the new resettlement schemes after they refused the offer by the Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad (SPNB) to build a house for them at a price of RM89, 000 per unit.
They rejected the offer because they do not want to burden themselves with bank loans.
Chairman of the liaisons committee on the resettlement, Itodio Peu said as the affected residents were forced to move out from their respective village, so it is just fair they are given free houses at the new settlement.
Villagers have urged Mambong MP, who is also Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Dr James Dawos to fulfil his promises to help them to get the free home.
Peu when met at the ground breaking ceremony on Saturday said the villagers from the four villages would not move to BDRS until their demands are fulfil by the government.
The affected villagers demanded that they be given free houses at the new resettlement schemes after they refused the offer by the Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad (SPNB) to build a house for them at a price of RM89, 000 per unit.
They rejected the offer because they do not want to burden themselves with bank loans.
Chairman of the liaisons committee on the resettlement, Itodio Peu said as the affected residents were forced to move out from their respective village, so it is just fair they are given free houses at the new settlement.
Villagers have urged Mambong MP, who is also Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Dr James Dawos to fulfil his promises to help them to get the free home.
Peu when met at the ground breaking ceremony on Saturday said the villagers from the four villages would not move to BDRS until their demands are fulfil by the government.
The villagers had demanded they be given free houses, their land, crops and properties are fully compensated.
Peu also disagreed with the suggestion by the minister that primary school pupils from the four villages be moved and study at SK Bengoh,.
“The idea will only burden the pupils but also their parents. The authority should build the schools and the necessary facilities such as community halls and churches first at BDRS before asking us to move to the resettlement scheme," he said.
He said, as a result of the implementation of the Bengoh Dam, 90 percent of crops such as rubber, cocoa, pepper and fruit trees owned by the villagers of Kampung Taba Sait was destroyed to make way for the dam construction.
He said, as a result of the implementation of the Bengoh Dam, 90 percent of crops such as rubber, cocoa, pepper and fruit trees owned by the villagers of Kampung Taba Sait was destroyed to make way for the dam construction.
According to Peu, the government has not paid compensations for their other properties such as houses, land and crops not flooded by the dam’s water.
Peu said, apart from not receiving compensations, the villagers has also so far has not received monthly financial support as promised to them.
"We were promised payment of disturbance allowance but so far no payment has been made to us," he said.
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