Renegotiate low compensations to Kg Sungai Baru Homeowners - Khalid Abdul Samad

HOMEOWNERS of Kampung Sungai Baru, Kuala Lumpur, who did not agree to its redevelopment, deserve a fairer compensation, said Federal Territories Amanah Chairman Khalid Abdul Samad.

He said the government should at least match their compensations to those due to homeowners who had agreed to development.

"The developer offered compensation between RM1,500 to RM1,800 per square foot, in addition to compensation in the form of property worth around RM1.02 million to those who agreed to the redevelopment.

"Whereas the remaining who did not agree only received RM450 to RM600 per sqft.

"This amount is way less than the Malay Agricultural Settlement (MAS) land in Kampung Baru which is valued between RM650 to RM850 per sqft by the Valuation and Property Management Department (JPPH).

"The Kampung Sungai Baru land should be priced more than MAS land considering the various restrictions that the MAS land has.

Khalid also chided Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa for her reply to Arau MP Datuk Seri Dr Shahidan Kasim at Dewan Rakyat on July 10 when the latter asked about the latest status of Kampung Sungai Baru.

Zaliha said that for flats owners, the compensation is between RM198,000 and RM350,000, while for terrace houses, it is between RM800,000 and RM2.9 million,

"Those who get RM198,000 cannot even get an apartment unit in Kuala Lumpur," he said, during a press conference held at Pusat Rukun Tetangga Kampung Sungai Baru, Kuala Lumpur.

"Zaliha also said that the groundbreaking ceremony for the Kampung Sungai Baru redevelopment project will be held at the end of this year.

"However, we learned that the Development Order for the project had not even been issued, so why the rush in evicting the residents?

"I am very disappointed with the Madani Government and a renegotiation should be done for the people for a fairer compensation," he said.

Sandwiched between the Ampang-Kuala Lumpur Elevated Highway (Akleh) and Kampung Baru, Kampung Sungai Baru has 264 PKNS flats and 64 terrace houses.

The buildings are located on a 5.23ha leasehold plot owned by Kampung Baru Development Corporation (PKB).

The redevelopment plan, which commenced in 2016 included building a mixed development high-rise.

Since then, the majority of the flats' residents had reportedly agreed to the redevelopment while the majority of the terrace homeowners disagreed.

This disagreement stalled the redevelopment, prompting the developer to use the Land Acquisition Act 1960 to acquire the land.

On Dec 27, 2022, StarMetro reported that the developer had already paid between RM800,000 and RM3mil in compensation to the terrace homeowners.

Last year, the Federal Territory Land and Mines Office (PTGWP) issued an order to vacate by Oct 5, failing which legal action would be taken.