Homeowners at the townhall discussing the redevelopment plan with Lily Suzana (second from left) and Khalid at Kampung Sungai Baru.
A GROUP of residents in Kampung Sungai Baru, Kuala Lumpur, are calling on the government to renegotiate with them over the plan to redevelop the enclave to ensure fair monetary compensation for their land acquisition.
The group, which comprises single-storey terrace homeowners, said they had found several developers willing to take over the project and were offering them a better deal.
Its spokesperson Lili Suzana Kudari said some of the owners were dissatisfied with the rate given by developer Ritzy Gloss Sdn Bhd which was RM450 per square foot.
“We have had a discussion with another developer who is willing to increase the offer to more than double the rate.
“We urge Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to instruct the relevant authorities to reopen negotiations to ensure fair compensation,” she said during a townhall to discuss the issue.
Located on 5.23ha of land owned by Kampung Baru Development Corporation (PKB), the village has 64 terrace houses and 264 units of PKNS flats.
In 2016, there was a plan to redevelop the area which included building a mixed development high-rise by developer Ritzy Gloss.
Since then, the majority of residents reportedly had agreed to the redevelopment, with the exception of some terrace homeowners.
Early last year a group of residents held a demonstration opposing the low rate of compensation they would have been given under the plan.
This stalled the redevelopment, prompting the developer to use the Land Acquisition Act 1960 to acquire the land.
Early this year, the Federal Territory Land and Mines Office (PTGWP) issued an order to vacate by Oct 5, failing which, legal action would be taken.
Former federal territories minister Khalid Abdul Samad, who also attended the townhall, urged the government to rescind the land acquisition decision.
“The use of the Act to take over private land for commercial developments will set a bad precedent in Kuala Lumpur,” he said.
Khalid expressed support for a new developer to take over the project.
“The new developer must pay the current developer any amount it has spent, with the government acting as the facilitator.”
On Dec 27, 2022, StarMetro reported that the developer had already paid between RM800,000 and RM3mil to the terrace homeowners in compensation.
On a related matter, Lily Suzana said a letter was sent to PTGWP, asking for the eviction notice to be extended to Dec 31.
She said many families were still looking for a place to move and needed time to arrange transportation for their school- going children.
When contacted, Ritzy Gloss director Abdul Hadi Ahmad said the company had applied for a development order from Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).
“We are now waiting for DBKL to deliberate on the application at their next one-stop centre meeting,” he said.
