KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will decide when the second reading of the Urban Renewal Bill will take place in the Dewan Rakyat, says housing and local government Nga Kor Ming.
Nga said his ministry was ready to proceed with the second reading of the bill that was postponed before but Anwar will decide what government matters will be brought up in the final week of the Dewan Rakyat proceedings.
"It depends on the prime minister, given the packed schedule for the coming week's Dewan Rakyat session," he told reporters after attending a dialogue event on the proposed Urban Renewal Act (URA) at the MPAJ Convention Centre here today.
The Dewan Rakyat will convene for the final four days for the year this week.
Earlier, Nga said in a speech that his ministry has conducted 126 engagements on the URA bill since drafting began in early 2024, involving more than 6,500 resident representatives, NGOs, and academics.
The bill aims to redevelop old, dilapidated housing areas to ensure the well-being of residents and sustainable urban development.
The bill outlines three types of projects - redevelopment involving tearing down and rebuilding housing projects; regeneration involving repairs or upgrades to dilapidated or abandoned buildings; and, revitalisation pertains to upgrading or improving an area without demolition.
Resistance to the bill from both the opposition and some in the government bloc, including Barisan Nasional and seven PKR MPs, prevented the bill from being passed during the last Dewan Rakyat meeting in August.