Chinatown landowners in the dark over MRT deal
KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 — Chinatown landowners are still wondering if Putrajaya has cancelled plans to acquire their properties for the My Rapid Transit (MRT) project as hoardings for the city train construction are all over the capital city.
Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun said today the Jalan Sultan property owners are still waiting for word from project owner MRT Corporation Sdn Bhd.
“We have yet to see an official letter from MRT Corp and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak confirming that they have cancelled the acquisition process,” he told a press conference here.
“MRT Corp must outline a report on how they are planning to construct the Klang Valley project, and ensure landowners that their properties will not be severely affected due to the development,” he said.
MRT Corp and the prime minister had promised the Jalan Sultan landowners that the government would not compulsorily acquire their property, but the landowners still want an official order to cancel the acquisition process.
“We do not want words, we want action,” Fong said.
Loke Ching Chong, a retired consultant engineer representing the Preservation of Jalan Sultan Committee (PJSC), wanted Najib and MRT Corp to meet the committee to decide the fate of the Jalan Sultan land.
“We still have lots of questions to ask about the project and we hope we are given the chance to speak our mind. We are giving MRT Corp and Putrajaya one week to respond to us,” he said.
MRT Corp pledged late last year it would not acquire Jalan Sultan properties if traders there agreed to vacate their premises for six months during the construction of the MRT.
The dispute over land acquisition began soon after landowners in Chinatown, Imbi and Bukit Bintang were informed in mid-2011 that the government would acquire lots above the MRT tunnel as owners’ rights extend to below the surface under the law.
