LORONG LIMAU AREA (Eviction of residents for industrialisation projects)

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Inche Mohd. Ariff Bin Suradi asked the Minister for Law and National Development (a) whether the Lorong Limau area is urgently required for industrialisation projects, and when; and (b) whether he will defer the eviction of the residents of the area to a later date.

Mr E. W. Barker: The answer to the question is "Yes". The Lorong Limau area is urgently required not for industrialisation projects but for re-development purposes. The Housing and Development Board will be commencing redevelopment as soon as the area is cleared.

The reasons for redeveloping this area are threefold. Firstly, the area is frequently subject to floods. Secondly, with the redevelopment of the area, there will be better utilisation of the land to house many more families than the number of people that are at present residing there. Thirdly, the one-storey Housing Board flats there are very old and in very poor condition, resulting in high maintenance costs.

The answer to the second part of the question is that no notice to quit has as yet been served on the residents of the Housing Board flats affected in this area, and I hope that no eviction will be necessary. Those residents who co-operate and move out of these Housing Board flats will be offered suitable alternative accommodation in other Housing Board estates. In fact, some have already moved and we hope that it will not be necessary to issue notices to quit on the others.

Inche Mohd. Ariff Bin Suradi (Kampong Kembangan): (In Malay): Can the Minister state how many flats there are involved and how big is the area?

Mr Barker: Sir, at the moment there are about 400 to 500 flats occupying an area of about 46 acres.