SUNGAI BULOH: The parents of students in Ladang Coalfied Tamil school here will stage a protest on Sunday against the plantation owner and a housing developer.
The estate workers, who claimed that they are being “tortured” after defying an order to vacate their homes, are now facing a similar predicament with the school.
A spokesperson for the parents, Lobat Raj, slammed the management and developer KL-Kepong Sdn Bhd, for using various tactics to shift the school and two places of worship, a church and a temple.The oil palm estate has been earmarked for a housing project.
“The developer and the management have never considered our hardship, and are only interested in making profits,” a vexed Raj told FMT.
He also disputed a letter produced by the developer which purportedly showed that 60 parents have consented to the school being shifted some 4km from its present location.
“Who are these 60 parents? Can the developer show them to us?” he asked, alleging that the majority of the signatories were outsiders.
According to Raj, the parents' demand is simple. They want the school to be located near their houses.
“It is easier for us to send the children to school,” he said, adding that it will be dangerous for the children to cross the main road to go to the proposed new location.
“Last week alone, three children were hurt in accidents along the road,” he revealed.
'No faith in PKR's Xavier, MIC's Parthiban invited'
As for the protest, Raj said some 400 people, comprising parents and locals, will gather at the school field to vent their frustration.
He also mentioned that no state government representatives have been invited, “because the parents have no trust in the exco in charge of Indian affairs, PKR's Dr Xavier Jeyakumar”.
Instead, the residents have invited MIC's former Ijok state assemblyman K Parthibhan.
Meanwhile, another resident Robert Vanapiah said the developer has not revealed the new site for the school.
“Our children walk to school, we have no buses. Imagine if they have to walk for 4km,” he said.
Last week, newly appointed Plantation Industries and Commodities Deputy Minister G Palanivel promised to resolve the issue when he visited the estate.
A ministry spokesman told FMT that Palanivel brought the matter to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's attention, and the latter promised to look into it.
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