SHAH ALAM, 26 Mar: A total of RM26.8 million has been allocated by the State Government so far for the implementation of the Selangor Ceria refurbishment scheme for low-cost flats (Ceria) across Selangor.

The Executive Councillor in charge of Housing, Building Management and Urban Settlement, Iskandar Abdul Samad, said that from the amount, 103 areas have been restored in the first term, while 54 areas have been approved for the second term.

He said that most of the low-cost apartments have been built with very low quality, forcing the State Government to step up to help and provide provisions for refurbishment efforts.

“The State Government will issue 80 percent of the allocation for low-cost apartments and the residents only have to repay 20 percent in instalments.

“Each house only has to pay RM and we are considering 50 more areas to receive this Ceria Scheme,” he said in the Selangorku segment recently.

He said that the State Government has also launched the Seroja programme, a security patrol and neighbourhood scheme in apartment areas in addition to the Ceria Scheme.

Iskandar said that the Seroja programme targets 50 areas to make it a success by providing RM5,000 in provisions to purchase equipment and light reflecting shirts.

“The rukun tetangga (neighbourhood programme) is under the Federal Government, but the Seroja programme is ours. If calamity strikes officers during patrol, we will provide consolation,” he said.

At the same time, he also informed that 254 apartment areas have enjoyed the free water programme as a result from migration from centralised metres to individual metres.

“In five years, we have managed to provide free water to about 60,000 housing units, where almost a quarter million residents have enjoyed free water through the migration of water pipe metres,” he said.