SEPANG, Oct 6 — This year’s Deepavali celebration holds special meaning for former Prang Besar estate resident Mangala Devi, as her 27-year wait to own a permanent home has finally become a reality.
The 51-year-old is among 167 families who received offer letters for the People’s Housing Project (PPR) Ampar Tenang in Dengkil today. Previously, she had been staying at the temporary Low-Cost Housing (RKR) in Taman Permata, Dengkil, after being relocated from the Prang Besar estate at Sepang in 1998.
“I have been living in the Taman Permata flats for 27 years since moving from the estate (Prang Besar). Now, we are so happy to have a new home and cannot wait to move in.
"This is my Deepavali gift this year. Over there, we had to climb the stairs in the flats. Although I live on the first floor, I have knee problems, so it would be difficult as I grow older.
"Thank you to the Selangor government and everyone involved for this terrace house,” she said.
The handover ceremony for the offer letters was officiated by Menteri Besar Dato' Seri Amirudin Shari. Also present were Housing and Local Government Deputy Minister and state executive councillor for housing and culture Datuk Borhan Aman Shah.
Meanwhile, clerk M. Ravi, 59, said that receiving ownership of a home was also a meaningful Deepavali gift for him and his family, as they would finally have a place of their own.
“I have been staying at the Taman Permata flats since 2001. The condition there has worsened over time, so I am truly delighted to finally receive the house this year,” he said.
For retiree Nordin Sitam, 62, who was raised at the Prang Besar estate, the new home brings immense relief after years of waiting, offering a much more comfortable living space than the temporary housing he had occupied.
“I have waited 16 years, and today it has finally come true. Alhamdulillah (God be praised) for this blessing.
"Previously, we lived in a flat with only one bathroom. Now, this new house is much more comfortable for the family,” he said.
The PPR Ampar Tenang units for the families, worth over RM88 million and fully funded by the government, have ended over two decades of waiting for the beneficiaries.
The project comprises 404 single-storey terrace houses, each measuring 700 square feet and equipped with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, estimated to be worth over RM217,000.
Previously, news reports said that the recipients were workers from four estates: Prang Besar, Medingly, Galloway, and Sedgely, who had been residing in the RKR at Taman Permata, Dengkil.
PPR Ampar Tenang was developed specifically to relocate the RKR Taman Permata residents, as the housing was deemed unsafe due to severe structural cracks.
