The bill for Kampung Baru development was approved at the Dewan Negara, reports Bernama.

The voting for the Kampung Baru Development Corporation Bill 2011, requested by the opposition, saw 38 members of the house supporting while only eight opposed the proposed second reading, thus resulting in the bill being passed.

The vote by division was carried out after an opposition member submitted a motion to Dewan Negara deputy president Datuk Armani Mahiruddin, who allowed the voting after deciding that the motion met the Proceeding Regulations.

On Oct 5, the report noted, opposition MPs failed to block the Kampong Baru Development Corporation Bill 2011 from being passed through a vote by division with 72 MPs supporting while only 28 had opposed the proposed second reading.

Earlier, when winding up the debate on the bill, Federal Territories and Urban Well-being Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin said landowners or heirs to the land would not be coerced into surrendering their land for redevelopment.

"Coercion will not occur as the process will take a long time. Instead there will be a consultation process and any infrastructure that needs to be repaired will be repaired quickly.

 "This painstaking process will ensure that landowners or heirs will not be put under undue pressure as they can agree or disagree during discussions," he said. (Source – Bernama)