More than 70 medium low cost house owners at Centrio Avenue in Bukit Gambir in George Town today once again urged the DAP-led state government to take firm action against the developer of the project for raising prices.    

The project comprising a 31-storey apartment with 780 of 650sq ft units would be ready for occupation in March next year, but the buyers are crying foul at having to pay between RM160,000 and RM180,000 for a unit compared with the original price of RM72,500 offered in 2008.

A representative of the buyers, Chuah Guan Huat, 34, said the developer’s reason for raising prices of the units without the consent of the buyers was allegedly for making modifications to the interior of the units and for the price of parking lots.

“We want a final decision as the letter of offer is issued by the state government. But when the case was raised, the state government only kept negotiating and holding meetings and the case has not been resolved until now,” he told reporters in George Town.

Another buyer, Norlida Masturo, 43, said, in a meeting with the developer on Dec 12, the developer agreed to sell units on the 14th, 30th and 31st floors at the original price, but they still had to pay RM15,000 to RM28,000 for parking lots.

She said, all the buyers were not satisfied with the developer’s decision as each floor had only 14 units and this means that the developer would make the offer to only 42 buyers, whilst there are more than 100 buyers who have accepted the offer to buy houses.

“We feel as if we are being manipulated... we had to take leave from the office, climb up and down between the offices of the state government and developer, waste our time phoning here and there and yet the problem is still not resolved,” she said.

Meanwhile, State Housing, Town and Country Planning Committee chairperson Jagdeep Singh Deo said the state government was awaiting an official report from the developer about the current status of housing units which is due on Dec 28.

- Bernama