Kota Madani Project Not Cosmetic But Strategic - Dr Zaliha

KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 (Bernama) -- The Kota MADANI project is not cosmetic or politically motivated, but a strategic initiative to ensure the well-being of civil servants who are the backbone of the country’s administration, says Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa.

She said according to the Auditor-General’s Report (LKAN) on the Management of Putrajaya’s Development in 2021, Putrajaya Holdings Sdn Bhd (PJHSB) was required to build 35,000 units of government quarters in Putrajaya, but currently, only 22,452 units had been built while the remainder had yet to be developed.

Dr Zaliha said records from the Property Management Division (BPH) as of June 15 showed that 17,366 civil servants were still on the waiting list for government quarters, compared to only 1,449 vacant units.

“As such, to meet this demand, the government has planned the development of Kota MADANI, which involves the construction of 10,000 new government quarters.

“This development will directly benefit around 10,000 civil servants and will be implemented on 102 acres (41.27 hectares) of land in Precinct 19, Putrajaya,” she said in a written reply uploaded on the Parliament website today.

She was responding to a question from Datuk Dr Alias Razak (PN-Kuala Nerus), who asked about the basis for the selection and direction of the Kota MADANI pilot project and the government's plans to ensure that it would not merely be a cosmetic project with no real benefit to the people.

Elaborating further, Dr Zaliha said the Kota MADANI concept went beyond merely providing housing and served as a model of urban development founded on pedestrian-friendly, inclusive, integrated, sustainable, and humane characteristics.

In line with the aspirations of Malaysia MADANI, she said planned public facilities would include schools, mosques, nurseries, gyms and community spaces located in close proximity to support a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.

“Kota MADANI is not a luxurious or elitist project, but one based on real needs. For the record, the concepts of compact development and vertical development have been part of Putrajaya’s long-term planning since 1998, but have only now been realised through the Kota MADANI project,” she said.

-- BERNAMA