Some villagers in KL enclave seek ‘fairer' price for giving up homes

Residents served with eviction notices after condo developer bought the land from govt

- Hazlin Hassan

More than 100 home owners living a stone's throw from the iconic Petronas Twin Towers are fighting to get fairer compensation from a project developer that plans to turn their shared plot into a luxury condominium.

These residents of the small village of Kampung Sungai Baru, a part of Kuala Lumpur's historic Kampung Baru Malay enclave, have been served eviction notices after little-known property developer Ritzy Gloss bought the 9ha leasehold plot of land from the government.

The government acquired the land in June 2021, after the developer made an application to do so but could not come to an agreement over the holdouts.

Under the 1960 Land Acquisition Act, the government can acquire land for public purposes or economic development in exchange for adequate compensation.

Details of the sale have not been made public, but the project had stalled since its start in 2016 because of the dissenting home owners.

Ritzy Gloss' original offer of compensation to home owners was a unit in the new development.

A total of 219 home owners, comprising 192 flat owners and 27 terraced house owners, have accepted the compensation offered, while 109, consisting of 72 flat owners and 37 terraced house owners, have not.

Now, the 109 home owners opposing the deal say they are being offered compensation that is very much lower in value than what their location should fetch.

They say they have appealed to the federal government, but have not received a consistent response. One reason is that four different prime ministers have been in power over the last six years.

"We want fair compensation. We are living in the KL city centre, not in the boondocks," said Mr Johari Zakaria, the spokesman for the Kampung Sungai Baru action committee formed by the dissenting home owners.

Kampung Sungai Baru is an area within the Kampung Baru enclave, the biggest pocket of land still owned by Malays in downtown Kuala Lumpur.