'Black Deepavali' ahead for Kg Railway folk

With only three days left till Deepavali, some 40 residents of Kampung Railway in Sentul today held a protest for a roof over their heads as they face eviction.

This follows a Kuala Lumpur High Court decision on Oct 31 that ordered the residents to vacate the land as they were unable to prove that they had permission to occupy the area.

However, residents of the kampung whose ancestors were railway workers said their families have lived in the area for over 100 years until the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) land was privatised to YTL Corporation in 1993.

"All we want is an assurance that we can have a roof over our heads. This may be our last Deepavali where we have our homes, and it is a black Deepavali," said resident Darshan Singh.

According to lawyer Abdul Rashid Ismail who represents 101 of the residents, YTL and the Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Ministry had promised them low-cost apartments as compensation.

However, even after the eviction order, there has not been any black and white document to assure that the promise will be followed through, he said.