They want City Hall to prevent YTL Corporation from expelling them.
KUALA LUMPUR: Residents of Sentul’s Kampung Railway are seeking heritage status for their village and asking Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to instruct the company claiming ownership of the land to stop trying to chase them out.
The company, YTL Corporation, recently obtained a court order to enable it to evacuate the village.
The residents failed today to submit to the mayor a memorandum containing the two demands. They said officials gave them the runaround with excuses that neither the mayor nor any relevant deputy was in his office.
They were accompanied to City Hall by Tan Jo Hann, the president of Permas, an organisation dedicated to championing the rights of the urban poor.
Tan accused YTL of “bullying the poor while negotiations are still ongoing”. He said the negotiations involved City Hall, YTL and the villagers.
According to him, Kampung Railway qualifies as a heritage village because the first settlers set up house there when Malaya was still a British colony. It is now home to 51 households. It also hosts a registered Hindu temple that is 80 years old.
“The city is the squatter,” he said. “It encroached on the land in the 1990s.”
In 1993, Taiping Consolidated, through its subsidiary Sentolia Park Co Ltd, signed an agreement with Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd to develop the land.
Subsequently, when YTL had bought over Taiping Consolidated, it laid claim on Kampung Railway through its subsidiary, Sentul Raya Sdn Bhd.
Earmarked for playground
Last December, Deputy Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister M Saravanan promised low-cost houses for all the residents.
“However, we found out that the land where the houses were supposed to be built was earmarked for a playground,” said Tan.
The residents staged a protest against YTL in the same month.
One of the residents, A Pushapleela, told FMT today that she resented being called a squatter.
“We’re settlers,” she said. “We pay quit rent.” She claimed to be a third-generation settler.
Another resident, Jaison Alex, said the villagers submitted a memorandum to City Hall four months ago but had not received a response.
He also said the memorandum was sent thrice to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, “but to no avail”.
A fortnight ago, he added, he tried to raise the issue with Najib during the latter’s visit to Kerinchi but was blocked by his aides.
KUALA LUMPUR: Residents of Sentul’s Kampung Railway are seeking heritage status for their village and asking Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to instruct the company claiming ownership of the land to stop trying to chase them out.The company, YTL Corporation, recently obtained a court order to enable it to evacuate the village.
The residents failed today to submit to the mayor a memorandum containing the two demands. They said officials gave them the runaround with excuses that neither the mayor nor any relevant deputy was in his office.
They were accompanied to City Hall by Tan Jo Hann, the president of Permas, an organisation dedicated to championing the rights of the urban poor.
Tan accused YTL of “bullying the poor while negotiations are still ongoing”. He said the negotiations involved City Hall, YTL and the villagers.
According to him, Kampung Railway qualifies as a heritage village because the first settlers set up house there when Malaya was still a British colony. It is now home to 51 households. It also hosts a registered Hindu temple that is 80 years old.
“The city is the squatter,” he said. “It encroached on the land in the 1990s.”
In 1993, Taiping Consolidated, through its subsidiary Sentolia Park Co Ltd, signed an agreement with Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd to develop the land.
Subsequently, when YTL had bought over Taiping Consolidated, it laid claim on Kampung Railway through its subsidiary, Sentul Raya Sdn Bhd.
Earmarked for playgroundLast December, Deputy Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister M Saravanan promised low-cost houses for all the residents.
“However, we found out that the land where the houses were supposed to be built was earmarked for a playground,” said Tan.
The residents staged a protest against YTL in the same month.
One of the residents, A Pushapleela, told FMT today that she resented being called a squatter.
“We’re settlers,” she said. “We pay quit rent.” She claimed to be a third-generation settler.
Another resident, Jaison Alex, said the villagers submitted a memorandum to City Hall four months ago but had not received a response.
He also said the memorandum was sent thrice to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, “but to no avail”.
A fortnight ago, he added, he tried to raise the issue with Najib during the latter’s visit to Kerinchi but was blocked by his aides.
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