The Housing and Local Government Ministry is nearer to overcoming delays in the issuance of the Certificate of Fitness (CF) of Occupation.

The ministry is looking to reduce the number of technical departments, that make the recommendations for the CF, and wants the local authorities which issue the certificate to work with them to speed up the processing and approval of applications.

Its minister, Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting, said ideally a CF should be issued within a month after a project is completed.

He said one solution is to ensure technical departments reduce the ''red tape'' in approving water and electricity supply for housing projects.

His ministry, he said, also wanted these departments to work under a ''one-stop centre'' concept where applicants can complete all relevant transactions in one place.

''As soon as they receive an application, the departments must be transparent and inform the applicant of all requirements, so that all these would be filled during submission of forms for fast processing,'' Ong said after launching Mapex 2003, a property exposition organised by Real Estate and Housing developers' Association Malaysia.

Ninety-four developers, 16 financial institutions and government agencies are taking part in the four-day event that is promoting 30,000 units of properties with an estimate value of over RM6.5bil.

The exposition is held annually.

On another matter, Ong said the ministry had listened to the association's explanation on why the term ''property overhang'' as defined by the National Property Information Centre Valuation and Property Department, did not reflect the actual scenario in the property sector.

He said while the term was defined as ''a property not sold after nine months of its launch'', the association had argued that the term should instead refer to ''properties not sold after 12 months or more'' while ''hardcore overhang'' should describe ''those not sold after 24 months or more''

Source : The Star 11/4/2003