KUALA LUMPUR – Kg Sg Baru residents who have yet to be paid compensation by the developer of a project in the area must stand their ground and not vacate their lands, amid eviction notices being sent out to homeowners by government authorities.
This is according to Titiwangsa MP Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, who said that based on feedback from affected residents, nine families have not received their due reimbursement from the developer.
“(For) those who haven’t gotten their payment, they should not move out from their house(s),” he told The Vibes, confirming that several other residents had received eviction letters from the director-general of the Lands and Mines Department (Land Office).
Earlier, The Vibes reported that some Kg Sg Baru residents are up in arms over the letter dated yesterday (December 19), which contains a notice indicating that the government has taken formal possession of their land through the Land Acquisition Act (LAA) 1960.
Johari also said that residents who face difficulties over the 30-day period to leave their homes stipulated in the letter should bring their grouses to the developer.
“Should they think the one-month notice (period) is not enough for them to move (out) from their places, they can appeal to the developer to give them an additional one or two months.
“The action taken by the developer against the residents was made through a court order well before I was elected as MP. On this score, there is nothing much I can do to stop the court and the Land Office’s decision,” he added.
Besides that, he said he will be appointing a lawyer to assist the residents who had moved out prior to the enforcement of the LAA and were promised new units after the project’s completion.
“The lawyer will engage with the developer so that the developer will not delay the construction of the project further,” he said.
Johari had used the Kg Sg Baru issue while campaigning in last month’s 15th general election, asserting that he would provide good legal representation for residents while claiming there were still ways to protect homeowners in the area.
The residents’ tribulations can be traced back to 2016, when private developer Ritzy Gloss Sdn Bhd sought to develop a colossal multi-billion ringgit mixed-development project in the area.
In exchange for their property, Ritzy Gloss promised owners a number of brand new units in the new development, subject to the size of residents’ land.
After close to half a decade of negotiations – during which Ritzy Gloss had failed to convince more than 100 landowners – the company applied for the LAA.
Their bid was subsequently approved by the then Federal Territories minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa. – The Vibes, December 20, 2022
