Angry house buyers to march to MB’s office

Former PJS1 squatters say PJ council has failed to resolve their woes.

PETALING JAYA: Buyers of low cost flats in a stalled project at PJS1 are planning to march to the Selangor Menteri Besar’s office next week to complain against the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) for its delay in resolving their problem.

MBPJ has not met a two-week deadline set by Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, according to M Sugumaran, who chairs the Block E Residents Action Committee.

“In a meeting on Nov 24, Khalid instructed the council, in our presence, to come up with a solution within two weeks.

“He told us to meet him straight if MBPJ fails to meet the deadline. The deadline is over and we are now planning to go see Khalid at his office.”

The area now known as PJS1 was a squatter settlement until 2003, when property developer Peter Brickworks Sdn Bhd decided to build five blocks of flats there. The company promised about 200 squatter families that it would allocate units for their purchase.

The project stalled after four blocks had been completed. A court order had barred Peter Brickworks from working on the portion of the land it had reserved for the fifth block, Block E.

Last year, the Selangor state government decided to intervene. It promised the squatters that it would resolve their problem.

Sugumaran said MBPJ was the culprit behind the squatters’ prolonged suffering.

He alleged that when he called up deputy mayor Puasa Md Taib, the latter passed the buck to other departments.

“They keep pushing us from one department to another,” he said. “MBPJ is even defying a directive from the MB.”