THE remaining residents of the Kampung Pandan Indian Settlement in Kuala Lumpur have been given until Nov 23 to move out of the village before Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) demolishes the village for redevelopment.
Two officers from the local authority were seen in the village yesterday at about 11am going from door to door issuing notices to the 200-odd residents still staying there.
Some 113 residents who are suing DBKL managed to get an injunction until Jan 8, 2010 but the remaining residents would have to vacate their houses to make way for redevelopment.
Kampung Pandan Indian Settlement Action Council head Suresh Kumar said DBKL could not issue notices to the residents who were suing the DBKL.
“We were given an injunction until Jan 8 — they cannot touch our houses. If they do, that means they are going against the court’s decision,” he said.
According to him, some of those who were suing City Hall had been given the notices.
Last week, DBKL representatives and Deputy Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister Datuk M Saravanan held a meeting with the residents.
Saravanan advised the residents to think about their future and consider their options.
“In the history of Kuala Lumpur, no one has won their claim in such cases,” he said.
After the meeting, 27 of the 113 residents, who had decided to sue DBKL, pulled out of the case.
The minister said the relocation of the squatters was only a temporary measure.
Once their houses are built, they can come back and rent the units and eventually buy them.
He, however, added that those who sued would not be able to claim a house once they lost the case.
Saravanan said the redevelopment of the settlement was the best thing that could happen to the residents and that two years was a small price to pay for the future benefits and the quality of life they would eventually enjoy.
He also said it was impossible to temporarily relocate all of them to nearby flats, as there were not enough units available.
Kg Pandan residents are being vacated for a development project which involves the building of two 15-storey blocks comprising 480 low-cost units.
Each unit will measure 65 sq metres, which is 4.6sq metres bigger than other public housing units in the city, and will be more stylish. It is estimated to cost RM47mil.
The Hindu temple and the Tamil school in the area will remain.
The settlers were initially supposed to shift to Puchong on May 14. However, they were granted a reprieve at the eleventh hour when the Federal Territories Ministry agreed to postpone their relocation.
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