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Good news for Batu Estate residents

December 17th, 2009
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This would be music to their ears. Deputy FT Minister Saravanan managed to get something right this time, so congrats to him.

These residents were promised houses when the area was supposed to be developed but end up labeled as squatters. And, as usual, its ex-estate land. No wonder nowadays, similar cases see lot of skepticism among the victims and demand for proper agreements.

AFTER three years of endless debate, the residents of Batu Estate in Jalan Segambut will finally receive due compensation and a low-cost flat unit each.

Developer Mayland Properties Sdn Bhd has offered RM2mil to the residents while the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has agreed to give them flat units nearby.

The agreement was reached during a meeting with Deputy Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister Datuk M. Saravanan at the DBKL headquarters at Jalan Raja Laut on Dec 16.

Saravanan said 48 families would receive the compensation while another 12 were still being investigated.

“Each of them will receive between RM20,000 and RM30,000 and a home from the DBKL either in Kepong or Jinjang as there are no vacancies at the Batu Muda flats,” he said.

The developer has also agreed to give a three-acre plot of land to the DBKL as compensation for the flat units DBKL has had to give out.

“DBKL does not usually give out flats to squatters on private land but because we have stepped in to help, the developer is giving us the land as compensation,” Saravanan added.

The squatters have been the subject of discussion for many months as a majority are former workers at the estate and had been promised houses in the area after the estate was developed.

Mayland is planning to build a fourth phase of apartments on the land after the residents have moved out.

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DBKL hotline to have Tamil too!

December 7th, 2009
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This is a rarity. DBKL is launching a hotline for complaints early next year. The number is 1-800-88-3255. Its being tested now, and the cool thing is that there operators will also handle complaints in Tamil! Not bad.

The call centre, which is expected to be fully operational next year, will be the first of its kind undertaken by a local authority to provide its citizens a convenient and fast way to connect with the local government.

Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Ahmad Fuad Ismail said the DBKL was currently finetuning the system and conducting a trial run to monitor the system.

“We are currently training staff to improve their communications skills. The first batch of five officers are currently testing out the system but it will only be launched in January,” he said.

The call centre will be located at Menara DBKL II and will operate from 9am to midnight, seven days a week. Operators will speak in Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mandarin and Tamil and will take in all complaints on various issues.

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Finally, they get some hope…

November 24th, 2009
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Not sure if readers remember the case of Bukit Kiara estate residents. After 23 years of staying TEMPORARILY in longhouses, there’s a glimmer of hope for them. Still need to wait two years (in time for next GE) for their actual own houses. Hopefully it will be a dream come true for them.

TAMIL Nesan reported that Bukit Kiara Estate residents who have been living in temporary longhouses for the past 23 years will be able to move into new houses in the next two years.

Deputy Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister Datuk M. Saravanan said the workers were moved to the longhouses after the estate was taken over by the Government for redevelopment.

They were promised houses and the longhouses were for an interim period of two years but the workers had been staying there for the past 23 years.

Saravanan said the 103 families would be given houses as promised. He said three locations had been identified within a 3km radius and the type of house to be built would depend on the land area.

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30 percent of high rise in klang valley exposed to quake damage

October 2nd, 2009
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Scary comments from our Minister following what I’ve written earlier:

Cracks have appeared on five high-rise buildings in the Klang Valley due to the tremors following the Padang earthquake, said Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha.

However, engineers found that the cracks were not serious.

“The Public Works Department have checked the five buildings, all within the Klang Valley, and ascertained the cracks are not serious,” he said.

He also said the Fire and Rescue Department was prepared for any eventualities.

The Selangor Fire and Rescue Department said the EDS Cyberjaya building is safe as only minor cracks appeared on it during the tremors.

Meanwhile, the Federal Territory Fire and Rescue Department said cracks also appeared on one of the Kuala Lumpur City Hall flats in Pantai Permai, reports Bernama.

In Kota Kinabalu, the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry is having a re-look at a proposal for all new buildings in the country to be made earthquake-proof.

Its minister Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili said a recent study of 65 public buildings in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Klang showed that about 30% of the structures faced risk of serious damage in the event of tremors.

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How did these people get PR status?

October 1st, 2009
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If you read Star Metro section today, there’s the news about houses built by people along the Jalan Duta. The main points from the article:

– land belongs to Malaysians who rent it out to these people. The families spent money to built their houses.

– the people who rent the land are Indonesian with PR status.

– from the phot0s,  can see cars, astro dish ouside the houses.

– the families’ financial status doesn’t allow for loans from banks to buy properties.

Question: If the financial capability is not strong, can the person still get PR? Don’t they need to have a proper job, and pass various strict conditions imposed by the government? Is it that easy to get PR status for certain people, because I read in papers that professionals  and people who lived all their lives in Malaysia also can’t get PR?  Should these people be offered PPR flats since they are considered low-income Malaysians? What action can be taken against the land owner, who probably misled the tenants? Will DBKL take any action or things would be “adjusted”?

A row of shacks along Jalan Duta near Kampung Segambut Dalam in Kuala Lumpur has become an eyesore for those who come into the city through the North-South Highway.

The 14 houses are built eight months ago by Indonesians with permanent resident (PR) status on a land that belongs to a Malaysian.

Resident Jaafar Sawar, 42, said they were renting the land from a Malaysian owner.

Permanent: Some of the 14 shacks that have been built at the site.

The rent amounts to RM200 for each house.

Jaafar, who has been in Malaysia since 1985, said he spent RM40,000 building his three-room, zink-roofed house.

“I am looking after this place. Every month I collect the RM200 rental from the others and pass it to the owner,” he said.

He added that the land had been lying idle.

The residents, however, did not obtain any building permits from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).

“It is on private land, so what we do on it is supposed to be up to us,” Jaafar said.

However, four months ago, they were issued notices of demolition by the DBKL for building illegal structures.

Unfinished: A backlane in between the houses.

“The landowner went to sort things out with the DBKL and, so far, nothing has happened.

“DBKL officers have visited several times to take pictures of the place but nothing else has been done,” he said

Before this, the residents were living at a different plot of land in the area.

Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng said the Indonesian colony in the Segambut area was huge and the new colony was not the only one.

Most of the homes are built on private land owned by Malaysians and then rented out to Indonesians with PR status.

“They hold red identification cards so it is difficult for them to buy a house of their own. They are not big income earners, and therefore can’t afford to buy homes.

“Looking at their financial status, banks will not give them loans and that is why they have resorted to building their houses like this,” Lim said.

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