KUALA LUMPUR – The Kg Sg Baru redevelopment saga is edging closer to a conclusion as property developer Ritzy Gloss Sdn Bhd pushes forward with demolition plans in the Malay enclave, despite resident concerns about inadequate compensation.
Ritzy Gloss director Abdul Hadi Ahmad confirmed that the company has received all the necessary approvals to proceed with demolition works.
Speaking to Scoop at Tamu Hotel after a brief meeting with several residents, Hadi mentioned that the demolition process began today with the disconnecting of water and electricity supplies to the flat units.
“We have gotten all the approvals, including permits, (to execute) a demolition, so we’re just exercising our right,” Hadi said briefly without detailing the timeline of the demolition process.
He also confirmed that Kg Sg Baru land involved in the contentious redevelopment project now belongs to Ritzy Gloss, as the Lands and Mines Office, as well as the Kg Baru Development Corporation (KBDC), have handed over their ownership of the plots.
KBDC is an agency created under the KBDC Act 2011 with the mandate of implementing policies, directives, and strategies for the development of Kg Baru, where Kg Sg Baru is located.
Hadi said Ritzy Gloss’ lawyers already sent out eviction notices on May 9 for residents to vacate their homes within two weeks, which is why their water and electricity supplies were cut this morning.
“This notice isn’t new, as there were previous notices (issued by the Kuala Lumpur Land Administrator). But, since they (residents) still refuse to leave, we’re just exercising our right (by) starting the demolition (process),” he added.
Meanwhile, when asked about the apparent tiff between him and residents during the meeting earlier, Hadi declined to comment on the matter.
In a legal letter dated May 9 from law firm Messrs Zulpadli & Edham, Kg Sg Baru residents who are still occupying their homes in the area were instructed to vacate their homes within 14 days of the notice.
The letter sighted by Scoop added that if residents fail to vacate their homes within the stipulated time, the legal representatives have been instructed to initiate legal proceedings, including fencing off the area, demolition works, and cutting off water and electricity supply.
The notice also states that such proceedings will be carried out without first informing residents, who will have to bear the effects of the move, including but not limited to the payment of general, exemplary, and aggravated damages to Ritzy Gloss as the “rightful landowners.”
For the record, the notices from the legal representatives sent out to terrace homes and flat unit owners differ slightly. Both versions reference a Form K under the Land Acquisition Act (LAA) 1960 on a notice that possession has been taken of the acquired land.
The form, issued by the Kuala Lumpur Land Administrator and upheld by a high court order dated December 11, 2023, means that the land ownership for those in strata housing has been handed over to Ritzy Gloss, the law firm said.
The legal letter sent out to landed property owners does not mention the high court order.
Nestled near the iconic Saloma Link Bridge and the Kg Baru LRT station, Kg Sg Baru consists of 98 leasehold terrace houses and 264 flat units in eight blocks.
Out of the total properties on the land, 27 terrace houses and 192 flat units willingly accepted an offer from the developer, which had first entered into a memorandum of understanding with a Kg Sg Baru residents’ association to develop the area through joint venture agreements in 2016.
In 2021, the Perikatan Nasional administration approved Ritzy Gloss’ application for compulsory acquisition of 37 terrace houses and 72 flat units in Kg Sg Baru under the LAA.
Landed property owners argue that their votes should carry more weight due to their larger land areas compared to flat owners.
In November last year, a separate residents’ association, different from the one involved with Ritzy Gloss in 2016, sought Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s intervention for fair compensation.
This followed news of a developer offering RM950 per sq ft for the properties, significantly higher than the RM450 per sq ft valuation by the Valuation and Property Management Department.
Anwar’s political secretary, Datuk Azman Abidin, had earlier confirmed that the Prime Minister’s Department received a letter of intent from this interested firm. Scoop has also discussed the issue with Kg Sg Baru residents, former Federal Territories minister Khalid Abdul Samad, and a lawyer representing the residents. – May 23, 2024