KUALA LUMPUR: Former Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat (pic) questioned the land acquisition in Jalan Sultan by the Klang Valley MY Rapid Transit (KVMRT) project owner, saying the affected owners are having their "arms twisted" to give in to MRT Co despite the legality of doing so was being disputed.
Ong, who is Pandan MP, said the authorities must stop intimidating the owners into selling their properties.
“They must stop all means of high-handedness, including individuals being called in separately and being asked point-blank on the quantum of compensation,” he told a Press conference at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) yesterday.
“From what I gather, the acquisition is now being actively pursued. Why is that so? Is it not a form of arm-twisting?”
MRT land acquisition has been called a land-grab exercise since the National Land Code 1965 allowed underground land to be acquired without affecting surface property.
Ong also asked why the feasibility study and social impact assessment report have yet to be made public to determine the structural safety of buildings being acquired.
He said any mega-project must have social impact assessment before it can be implemented.
"We know well those are prewar buildings (at Jalan Sultan) and whether or not they are going to be structurally safe and fit for occupation after the tunnelling work, has to be determined. So far I think it is still open-ended. Nobody knows, and there's not even an assurance on safety,” said the former MCA president.
Ong said the owners are being forced to sell their properties when the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) sent a letter on Sept 8 requesting owners to provide documents on their land for valuation.
“The authorities said acquisition will be based on willing buyer and willing seller basis. I think this doesn’t hold because I believe most of the affected owners have made their stance known that they are not willing sellers. Why then the authorities are still pursuing the submission of the evaluation reports?”
Yesterday, Jalan Sultan and Jalan Bukit Bintang traders formed a committee to pressure MRT Co into considering realigning the MRT’s Sungai Buloh-Kajang line.
Called the Committee of Preserving Jalan Sultan and Jalan Bukit Bintang, it is supported by Ong and DAP Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun as advisors.
Ong said committee members met with MRT Co last Thursday but the officials “shot down” the owners' realignment proposals.
The committee wants the MRT line re-routed from Jalan Sultan to Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock and for the new route to be integrated with the LRT Pasar Seni station and KTMB line and the Puduraya bus terminal.
Ong also urged the owners not to delay in asking Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to intervene.
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