Property owners at Jalan Sultan against land acquisition, takeover of premises
Aug 12, 2011
Property owners at Jalan Sultan who were affected by the underground tunnelling works of MY Rapid Transit (MRT) are against the land acquisition and takeover of their premises.
In a briefing session organised by Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd and representatives from the Department of Lands and Mines and the Valuation and Property Services Department on Thursday, those affected said they were concerned that the heritage land, in existence for over 100 years, had to be demolished to make way for the MRT project.
They were sad that the land and properties, which would be affected under the Land Acquisition Act 1960, would be taken away after big sacrifices from their ancestors who played a key role in the development of Petaling Street and Chinatown as a main tourist attraction.
A total of 30 lots comprising 20 buildings and 10 empty pieces of land will be affected.
The buildings include hotels, shops, supermarket and restaurants as well as the Klang bus station.
Prasarana, Department of Lands and Mines and the Valuation and Property Services Department will manage the process of land acquisition and compensation matters respectively.
Member of Parliament for Bukit Bintang, Fong Kui Lun, submitted a note of objection from land owners and traders affected by the land acquisition to Prasarana.
According to the note, those affected would lose their land and properties as well as their businesses which had been existing for a long time.
These land should be preserved as this represents the heritage history of Kuala Lumpur, it said.
The note said these owners were worried that even though, they would be compensated, it may not reflect the market value.
Group director of project development division, Prasarana, Zulkifli Mohd Yusoff, said experts had said there were safety issues for buildings above underground tunnelling works in Kuala Lumpur, especially if they were old and aging.
"The law also does not permit building structure on top of underground tunnelling works," he said.
He said while it was possible to amend the law, the process would involve a long time.
"The MRT project is important for the development of the country as we do not want the city of Kuala Lumpur to be congested like parking lots," he said.
During the launch of the MRT project, the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD), as the supervising agency, announced that it had significantly reduced the land acquisition for the project.
SPAD said this was due to feedback from the public display, which registered more than 6,000 feedback from the public, with a resounding 91 per cent support.
During the public display period, SPAD, together with Prasarana, engaged various stakeholders, which included residents associations, business groups and government agencies, with a view to minimise social and environmental impact as well as to include future integration plans.
The land and property owners affected by the Jalan Sultan underground section were dissatisfied that they were not given comprehensive information of the impact of the land acquisition during the public display. - Bernama
