KUALA LUMPUR: The RM30 million allocation in Budget 2022 for the provision of internet facilities at 40 People's Housing Projects (PPR) has been hailed as a boon for residents to adapt to life under the new normal, especially the home-based teaching and learning (PdPR) process.

In welcoming the government initiative, the Seri Malaysia PPR Residents' Association in Desa Petaling said internet access has been a major challenge for the PPR community as it is a basic facility required by all age groups, including for PdPR and work from home purposes.

Its chairman Nur Zaidi Maaini hoped that internet access could be provided free of charge as the majority of PPR residents are from the B40 group who lack financial means.

"I also hope the service to be provided will be high-speed internet and not just mere connectivity without the required quality and capacity to truly benefit the residents," he told Bernama when contacted today.

The chairman of Seri Pantai PPR Residents' Association in Pantai Dalam, Tusiah Sino, said the internet facility to be provided should come with WiFi to enable residents to access it from their homes or spacious common areas.

Tusiah said although some PPRs have internet centres, such facilities are not suitable in the current situation where COVID-19 remains a threat.

"These internet centres usually have limited space, and in this pandemic season we do not encourage residents especially children to gather there because of the difficulty in practising physical distancing and poor ventilation," she said.

When tabling the budget yesterday, Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said the RM30 million allocation would be used to provide internet facility at 40 existing PPRs under the Digital Connectivity Project initiative to ensure that PPR residents are not left behind.

-- BERNAMA