KUALA LUMPUR – Despite being promised new apartment units and a lump sum compensation based on the size of their existing properties, some of the Kg Sg Baru residents here believe that they are getting the short end of the stick.
They claim that the accessibility of their current homes – less than 2km from a hospital, LRT station, and a myriad of food stalls – is something that developer Ritzy Gloss Sdn Bhd failed to take into consideration.
Proximity to Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) is paramount for lifelong resident Aida, 40, who has two disabled children frequently requiring medical attention.
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If she accepts the deal offered by the developer, Aida and her family will be given temporary accommodation in Residensi Kerinchi, an apartment some 11km away in Kg Kerinchi.
However, she is worried that the move will complicate matters as the nearest hospital to Residensi Kerinchi is Universiti Malaya Medical Centre 4km away, while her current house is just over 1km from HKL.
Besides her children’s wellbeing, Aida also fears that high-rise buildings may not suit her ageing parents who are accustomed to living on landed property.
“How long will it take to build the apartment?” she asked, adding that while she may be able to enjoy the compensation money, her 80-year-old father and 75-year-old mother may not.
“Maybe, I will get to enjoy the money, and even my family and my children. But what about my parents? They worked hard to buy this house, they should be able to enjoy it.”
Another common concern among residents The Vibes spoke to is the medium-term effect the construction will have on their ability to do business.
“Yes, they’ll let us stay (in Residensi Kerinchi) for free, but what about our businesses?” said 40-year-old Mohd Haslan Abdul Abbas, who, with his family, runs a small catering business out of the ground floor flat unit on Jalan Kg Sg Baru.
Haslan, who is a manager at a local media company, said if he moves out, he will have to rent premises somewhere to continue his business, something he fears will eat into his already meagre profits.
Another long-time resident, Rujayanah Said, 68, felt that the developer had not taken into account the residents’ fundamental needs.
As the majority of the Kg Sg Baru’s business owners conduct their operations within the housing area, Wak Nona, as she is fondly known, is concerned about economic survival once construction begins.
“Residents run small stalls by the road and under trees, but where will they go when construction starts? Is the developer expecting them to stop their businesses for two years?” she asked.
She said this issue was raised during a meeting a few years ago involving residents, the developer, and Titiwangsa MP Datuk Seri Rina Harun.
Some residents asked for commercial lots in the new development while others urged the construction of a food court for local traders.
The only answer the residents got was: “We’ll think about it”.
Two days ago, former Federal Territories minister Khalid Samad accused the government of placing the interests of a developer above those of the people via the use of the Land Acquisition Act 1960.
He questioned the government’s decision to use the act after five years of failed negotiations between the majority of the Kg Sg Baru residents and developer Ritzy Gloss.
A stone’s throw away from the picturesque Saloma Link, residents of Kg Sg Baru are faced with the bleak prospect of eviction in order to make way for a mixed development.
The deal currently offered by the developer includes an apartment unit in a block of flats that will be built at the edge of the Kg Sg Baru boundary, a nominal figure of RM15,000 for accommodation while under construction, and a lump sum compensation calculated on a per square foot basis.
The Shah Alam MP also called on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob to make this issue his “pet project” as the latter frequently raised the issue in Parliament during his stint as opposition leader from 2018 to 2020. – The Vibes, April 18, 2022
