Fate of cows and goats in KTM hands

Their owners are too poor to move out of the company’s land.

SENAWANG: The fate of 71 cows and 60 goats belonging to two farmers at Perhentian Tinggi Estate near Sungai Gadut are now in the hands of Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB).

The animal sheds lie on KTMB reserve land and the company has told the two to move out, but they are too poor to do so.

Senawang State Assemblymen P Gunasekaran of DAP highlighted their predicament to the press yesterday.

“KTMB told them to vacate the land to make way for the Seremban-Gemas Electrified Double Track Project,” he said.

R Arumugam, 50, said his shed was located 250 metres away from the proposed track and should not be pose a problem to the project.

“My father started to rear cows in 1966,” he said. “However, in 1994, we were asked to vacate the land on the order of KTMB. I sold off all my cattle and decided to work as a lorry driver

“I’m getting older and not strong enough to work as a lorry driver; so I decided to start again the cattle business in August last year since the original land was vacant.

“I’m poor and I appeal to the KTMB, please don’t ask me to vacate this land as this is my only source of income. I invested a large sum of money to build the new cow barn.”

He said he sent a letter to KTMB last May 25, asking it to reconsider the evacuation order, and the company replied saying it would not do so.

“I don’t know where else to shift my cattle barn. I’ve already received a third notice from KTMB to vacate the land, but I don’t how to solve this problem.

“I don’t mind it if KTMB wants to charge me rental and erect fences for safety.”

The other farmer, 30-year-old TM Vadivarasan, said he would shift his livestock to another location if he had enough money to buy land and build a new shed.

“How to shift when the cost of buying a piece of land and building a barn is so very expensive?” he said.

“I hope KTMB and the government will sympathise with us. Without cows and goats, we will lose our livelihood.”

Gunasekaran told FMT he had written to KTMB, the Transport Ministry, the Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar and the Prime Minister, asking them to find ways to help the farmers.

“I hope the respective parties will come down and see for themselves how they are managing their cows and goats,” he said.

“Definitely a win-win solution can be reached.”