No approval for housing plans not in compliance with disabled access amenities - KPKT

KUALA LUMPUR: The government will not approve housing development plans which are not in compliance with the conditions set, including the requirement to provide amenities for people with disabilities (PwD).

Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government (KPKT) Datuk Seri Dr Ismail Abd Muttalib said the ministry is responsible for ensuring that developers not only abide by the conditions under the Persons with Disabilities Act 2008 (Act 685), but also the Housing Construction Industry Standards.

"The local authorities (PBT) must also look into the details of the PwD needs and ensure that approvals are not given as long the housing plans do not fulfil the requirements.

"We have a clear set of rules and will enforce them if they (developers) fail to fulfil the conditions," he said during the question and answer session at the Dewan Negara here today.

He was responding to a supplementary question from Senator Datuk Ras Adiba Radzi who wanted to know what action would be taken against developers who fail to follow the specifications on accessibility facilities for the disabled.

In reply to Ras Adiba's original question on the ministry's efforts to address the issue of home ownership among the disabled community, Ismail said it had been KPKT's responsibility to ensure livable housing for all groups, including the disabled.

He said the 2019 National Standards of Housing issued by the Malaysian Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) had outlined the Universal Design as a guideline for the design of buildings and support facilities component, in consideration of the elderly, children, disabled groups.

According to him, for the PwD group, the standards also cover disabled-friendly parking lots, walkways, elevators, toilets and accessibility to switches or plugs.

"KPKT always ensures that no group, including the disabled, is left behind when it comes to housing. It has been set that one per cent of the total People's Housing Programme (PPR) units is allocated to the disabled in the B40 group.

"As of Aug 31, 2021, there are 154 PPR projects providing 97,196 housing units nationwide and of the total, 936 units have been allocated for the disabled and 809 units (86.4 per cent) are already occupied," he said.

-- BERNAMA