Railway body rescinds eviction notice to Kg Manis residents

 

The 200 residents in Kampung Manis, Perai, are upset after being given six months to vacate the houses they have occupied for generations.

GEORGE TOWN: The Railway Assets Corporation (RAC) today said it will rescind an “order to vacate” sent to villagers of Kampung Manis pending further discussions with stakeholders at the state and federal levels.

A RAC spokesperson told FMT that for now, the residents need not worry as the matter was discussed between Batu Kawan MP Kasthuri Patto and RAC officials in Parliament today.

“As a government agency, we are very concerned about the peoples’ worries, especially after the notice was issued. At the same time, we take cognisance of those affected by the pandemic now,” the spokesman said.

Kasthuri thanked the RAC for its immediate response and hoped a win-win deal could be struck after discussions with the relevant state and federal stakeholders.

“Many of these villagers lost their jobs during the pandemic and I urged RAC to rescind the eviction order. They must be more concerned and caring about those living there,” she told FMT.

Earlier today, 200 residents picketed outside their village near the Perai river claiming that RAC had issued a six-month eviction notice with no alternative housing or compensation offered.

Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy said the residents, who had been staying there for close to a century now, ought to be compensated and offered homes before they were evicted.

“Although the land in Kampung Manis is RAC’s property, it does not have the right to evict the residents against their will without providing alternative housing or sufficient compensation,” he said earlier today.

Ramasamy vowed that so long as he remained Perai assemblyman, he would not let RCA have its “authoritarian” way with his constituents. - FMT