THE Federal Territories Ministry secured RM481 million for Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) this year, as a result of a review of 97 dubious land transactions.

Minister Khalid Abdul Samad said all negotiations undertaken by the ministry and its agencies are made in accordance with clear policies and regulations based on valuations by the Valuation and Property Services Department.  

“There is no special offer or low price or a price that is higher than the valuation. What took place in the past will not recur because the ministry has put in place strict procedures in connection with all land transactions,” he said at a press conference in Putrajaya today the ministry and its agencies’ achievements in 2019.

Khalid also touched on the effectiveness of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme, in which private construction companies undertook upgrading works for existing facilities and ‘adopted’ a housing scheme for underprivileged communities (Program Perumahan Rakyat) to improve residents’  quality of life.

“The problem before was that developers gave a lot of donations but it is not known where these donations went to. This is based on information from developers themselves,” he said, advising that donations should be made through CSR programmes focused on maintenance, repairs, beautification and interacting with residents “so that the cycle of poverty does not continue”.

On the achievements recorded by Putrajaya Corporation, Khalid said 212 international events had been organised, attracting up to six million visitors, while in Labuan, the first edition of the International Kite Festival 2019 attracted 34 foreign entries from Germany, Australia, Japan and Sweden, among others. – Bernama, December 30, 2019.