Rawang villagers can sue TNB for trespass

Tenaga National Berhad (TNB) can be sued for trespass by the villagers of Kampung Sungai Terentang, on whose land the national power company intends to hoist high tension cables, says a technical committee representing them.

“The villagers can sue TNB for trespass, as it does not have their permission to enter (their land), as required by law,” committee secretary James Ooi said in statement.

This was because, Ooi said, TNB needed to apply to the local district office - in this case, Gombak - for permission to enter into any land to put up new electricity lines or upgrade existing ones.

The district office, in turn, must get the express consent of individual landowners before TNB can be granted permission.

This, Ooi said, was in accordance with the requirements under section 11 of the Electricity Supply Act 1990.

He maintained that TNB did not make any such application to the Gombak district office, and neither was the consent of the villagers sought nor granted, despite new construction and upgrading works already underway.

Under the law, the land office must endorse each individual land title after the owner has granted permission before TNB can commence construction or upgrading works, Ooi added.

'TNB no right to be there'

Ooi submitted that none of the land titles of the Kampung Sungai Terentang residents had any endorsement to indicate that the national electricity provider was given leave of access, which means TNB has no right to be there.

While TNB had argued, after protests from the villagers, that it did apply to upgrade the existing power cables, Ooi maintained that the company does not have the permission of the villagers to enter the area.

The villagers of Kampung Sungai Terentang have been engaged in a long-drawn battle with TNB over the power company’s plans to run high tension electricity cables over their land near they live.

TNB claims that the proposed route for the cables was of optimal importance to backstop the national power grid, while the villagers have raised health and quality of life concerns over such an installation.

TNB is still trying to proceed with its plan despite the villagers seeking legal means to prevent it as well as getting the support of the Selangor government, which has issued a stop work order to the utility company.