Story and photo by PRIYA MENON | Nov 24, 2009

Kampung Tanah Lapang settlers say no to relocation

THE residents of Kampung Tanah Lapang, in Sentul are asking for more time from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to meet Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak before they decide to move out of their squatter area.

The City Hall had asked 68 families in the village to relocate to the Batu Muda flats in Jalan Ipoh by today to facilitate the zero squatter scheme by the Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Ministry.

While some had declined the offer and moved out, the remaining 23 families had chosen to stay put.

The remaining squatters are adamant about meeting Najib and highlighting their plight.

According to village head N. Manikam, since there is no development taking place in the area for the time being, the land should be given to them.

“The village is more than 100 years old and we hope to turn it into Kampung Warisan,” said Manikam.

He added that the villagers wanted to build better houses this time around.

At a recent Deepavali gathering, the villagers discussed their problems with a few local leaders.

According to the coordinator of the village, Dr M. Sivalingam, they had been working on obtaining the land since 1983.

He added that despite meetings with previous KL mayors and City Hall officers, they had not had any favourable answers.

“We approached the PM’s Department and gave them a letter in April this year and also spoke to the PM’s special officers but till today no meeting had materialised,” said Dr Sivalingam.

He also asked why City Hall wanted to destroy the squatter homes when there were no development in the area.

Present at the dinner was All Malaysian Indian Progessive Front (IPF) deputy president M. Sambanthan, who said they were willing to help in the matter.

“We will be meeting Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor to discuss this issue,” he said.

Gerakan Pemuda executive secretary M. Manimaran, who represented Gerakan Batu division chairman Lim Si Pin said they would try their best to resolve the issue amicably.

“We do not want a 100-year-old village to lose its identity. We are sure we can rebuild it better than before and let the residents continue living here,” he added.

The residents are hoping City Hall would stop the demolition.

However, if they don’t get a positive reply, the residents have decided to consult a lawyer.

“We have sought legal advice and we had been told to wait for City Hall. If eveything else fails, then we may seek for an injunction to stop the demolition,” said Manikam.

He added that the residents were not in favour of relocation because they had all the facilities in the area while the Batu Muda flats were small and the area did not have a temple and other amenities.

When contacted, Deputy Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister Datuk M. Saravanan said the doors to City Hall and the ministry were not closed to the residents.

“We understand the DBKL flats lack certain facilities and we are looking into the issue,” he said.