THE promise of new homes turned into a 20-year nightmare for former squatters in Kampung Kuil Sikh in Selayang, Selangor.
They are desperately waiting for replacement housing that was promised after their homes were demolished.
Those interviewed said the area had 25 houses, built sometime in the 1980s but were demolished in December 2005.
In addition to a RM3,500 payment to cover rental fees, homeowners were also given three options to choose from as compensation for vacating the site.
They could buy a RM50,000 townhouse, a two-storey terrace priced from RM200,000 to RM250,000 or opt to receive a RM10,000 payment.
However, former squatters said these projects did not take off as the developer had gone bankrupt and the site was left idle.
Desperate for a resolution, they reached out to Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM), which made a police report at Jinjang police station in Kepong on Sept 21, urging for an investigation.
Its Complaints and Welfare Bureau (Central) chief Lee Hoi Eng urged Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) to provide an update on the matter.
“Some of these squatters have died while waiting for the housing projects that they were promised,” he said.
A former squatter, who only gave her name as Lim, said in May, a letter on the matter was submitted to Selangor government.
“We were informed that we would get a reply after a month but there has been no response since then,” she said.
StarMetro reached out to MPS and Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari for comment but had yet to receive a response at press time.
