GEORGE TOWN, April 4 -- The Penang state housing board plans to approach the Putrajaya about using federal land to build more affordable housing in the state.

State housing and environment committee chairman Datuk Seri Sundarajoo Somu said there was federal land that was left idle and which could be used for affordable housing.

"Penang is land scarce so we need to look at other ways to maximise land usage," he said in a press conference after chairing a Housing Outcome Performance Committee (Hope) meeting in Komtar today.

"We will be approaching the federal government to propose possible joint ventures to build affordable housing projects on these lands," he added,

He said as of today, a total 157,000 units of affordable housing were ...