Bukit Jalil folks’ demand can be met

PETALING JAYA: MIC youth chief T Mohan urged the Federal Territories and Urban Well-Being Ministry to give Ladang Bukit Jalil residents the four-acre land they are seeking.Taking a swipe at the ministry’s deputy minister M Saravanan, Mohan said scarcity of land was no excuse to deny the estate workers’ demand.“The government can afford to give away four out of the 26 acres of land City Hall has acquired for development, in recognition of their (the residents’) contribution to nation-building,” said Mohan.

On Monday, Saravanan, who is also MIC vice president, said the government could not meet the residents’ request as there was a scarcity of land space in Kuala Lumpur.He also said that while those who had moved out earlier were given only RM1,000 with an option to rent units at a nearby City Hall flats, those remaining were getting a better deal.Saravanan’s boss, Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin, on Feb 23, offered RM23,000 each to those who had worked in the rubber estate for more than 15 years and RM11,000 for the rest.

He also threatened them with eviction irrespective of whether they took up the offer, which he said was equivalent to getting a free house.Dismissing the minister’s claim, Mohan said there were instances of estate workers getting a better deal than what is being offered by DBKL to the Bukit Jalil folk.“The former workers of Bukit Tinggi estate were given units on the ground floor of a low cost flats while former workers of Braemar estate received low cost flats for free.“In fact, the Kinrara estate residents near Ladang Bukit Jalil were given low cost houses in Kinrara itself by the developer,”said Mohan.

The Bukit Jalil folk who rejected Nong Chik’s offer have sought help from the Bar Council help on Tuesday to stop the planned eviction scheduled for March 15.They also submitted a memorandum to the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) for assistance and will be heading to the Parliament today to enlist the support of friendly MPs.


Source : http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/03/10/bukit-jalil-folks-demand-can-be-met/