ABOUT 30 nursery operators in Sungai Buloh, Selangor, are seeking a meeting with Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari to request a replacement site after being told to vacate the land they currently occupy.
They are unhappy with the offer of a one-off RM10,000 ex-gratia payment, following an eviction notice served on Feb 16.
The group said they planned to meet Amirudin at 10am today at Bangunan Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah in Shah Alam.
The operators, who occupy 66 lots along Jalan Sungai Buloh, hope to raise the matter ahead of an ex-gratia payment event scheduled for tomorrow.
Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Landscaping and Nursery Operators Association president Lee Chee Hoong said they wanted to voice their displeasure over the lack of discussion regarding the relocation.
“The eviction notice did not mention providing us with a replacement site.
“We agree to leave if there is an alternative site where we can continue our operations,” he said during a press conference at one of the nurseries in Jalan Sungai Buloh.
The Feb 16 notice required them to take down existing structures and move out within four months.
The operators also felt that Selangor government had not upheld its promise to provide them with a replacement site.
“In 2022, we were told to move the nurseries to Bukit Changgang in Banting but, to this day, that site lacks proper infrastructure and is not ready for occupation,” said Lee.
“Now, we are offered only monetary compensation, which is not even enough for us to relocate,” Lee added.
Another operator, Sunny Low, rebutted claims that they were illegally occupying the land.
“We followed instructions from the authorities to obtain the necessary documents to remain here, but the state government has no solutions for us.
“Some operators were told in 2020 to move to the Hicom Industrial Park in Section 26, Shah Alam.
“After spending several thousand ringgit per person to submit our applications, we were later told the site was unsuitable for horticulture due to technical and landscaping issues,” said Low.
The Sungai Buloh nurseries, also known as Selangor Green Lane, occupy a 6km stretch of Jalan Sungai Buloh.
They started operations in 1999 after signing an agreement with the Selangor Agricultural Development Corporation to occupy the land for horticulture.
However, their temporary occupation licence (TOL) has not been renewed since 2008 because large underground water pipes were found on the land.
Since then, about 50 operators have applied for TOLs for their businesses but failed to get them.
In 2019, some operators were asked to relocate to facilitate the construction of the Damansara-Shah Alam Highway and road widening works for a township development.
The first phase of operators, occupying over 10 lots, relocated to Kampung Chempaka in Petaling Jaya.
Under the second phase, over 10 lots were asked to move to Bukit Cherakah in Shah Alam.
The remaining nurseries were told to move to Bukit Changgang in 2022, but the place lacked infrastructure.
On Feb 13 this year, Selangor infrastructure and agriculture committee chairman Datuk Izham Hashim said the road widening project had faced prolonged delays, as the affected land was state-owned and occupied without ownership documents or official approval.
Izham stressed in his statement that there would be no additional commitments, such as replacement sites or further compensation, beyond the RM10,000 ex-gratia payment.
