LAND meant for the Rapid Transit System Link (RTS) between Johor Baru and Singapore has been transferred to the Johor sultan, a state government source said.
The RTS which is currently under review by the Pakatan Harapan government might face delays as a result of this.
The source told The Malaysian Insight that the land transfer was discovered in minutes on a report on the land’s status. The 4.5ha plot is located at Bukit Chagar in Johor Baru.
“The land was planned for use as site of the RTS link but because of this issue, it will delay the process of building the RTS between Johor and Singapore,” the source said.
The biggest problem will be cost as the federal government will have to incur additional spending on land acquisition, the source said.
Another government officer at the federal level confirmed the land transfer to Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar with The Malaysian Insight.
The second source said the transfer took place between 2017 and 2018 and the land was previously owned by the federal government.
Documents shown to The Malaysian Insight on the land’s status stated that the transfer to the Johor Sultan was made on January 28 this year by the director-general of the Johor Land and Mines Office.
Johor Menteri Besar Sahruddin Jamal was in Kuala Lumpur today to meet with Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad but declined to answer reporters’ questions about the matter.
The 4.2km RTS was meant to provide seamless connectivity between Johor Baru and Singapore’s Woodlands by transporting 72,000 passengers a day and shortening clearance time at the Customs and Immigration checkpoint.
The RM4 billion project would have involved an above-ground track, a bridge across the Johor Straits and a tunnel underground to connect at Woodlands.
In early April after the 9th Malaysia-Singapore Leaders’ Summit, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Malaysia was reviewing the project for more affordable and sustainable alternatives, while Singapore was willing to consider suspension of the project.
Following the leak of the documents on the RTS land, The Malaysian Insight is seeking further details from Transport Minister Anthony Loke and the Johor Land and Mines Office. THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT
Sources claim federal land transferred to sultan, Johor RTS hits a snag
Putrajaya’s review of the plans to construct the Rapid Transit System (RTS) from Johor Bahru to Singapore had hit an unexpected snag, according to sources.
It was discovered that a plot of land in Bukit Chagar, which the federal government was supposed to own, was now in the name of Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar instead.
Those familiar with the matter told Malaysiakini that the Johor Department of Land and Mines discovered this on Jan 28.
The land was one of five lots in Bukit Chagar that Putrajaya received from the Johor government in 2012 as part of a land swap deal to build the Johor Bahru Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex (CIQ).
It is unclear when or how the sultan acquired the land but sources believe the title for the 4.5-hectare plot was transferred under the previous BN administration sometime between 2017 and 2018.
Sources told Malaysiakini this means Putrajaya would have to fork out around RM495 million in compensation to acquire the land which it was supposed to own.
“So now the problem is the cost. That land was supposed to be federal land but now there is an additional cost to deal with,” said one person on condition of anonymity.
Malaysiakini is seeking a response from the Johor palace.
Former Johor menteri besar Khaled Nordin, meanwhile, told Malaysiakini that the question should be referred to the Land and Mines Department.
The disputed land is currently being used as a public parking lot.
Besides the land in Bukit Chagar, sources said Putrajaya might also have to acquire an underwater plot of land at the Johor straits said to be worth around RM198 million from the sultan.
In other words, the federal government would need to compensate the sultan to the tune of RM693 million for the two plots.
Met in Kuala Lumpur today, Johor Menteri Besar Dr Sahruddin Jamal waved off the media and entered his car when asked to comment on the status of the Bukit Chagar land for the RTS project.
Sahruddin and his state executive council members had earlier met with Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Previously, it was reported that Putrajaya requested a six-month extension from Singapore before making a final decision on the RTS project.
The 4km RTS train line was planned to link up the Bukit Chagar station in Johor Bahru with the RTS Link Woodlands North Station in Singapore via a 25m-high bridge across the Straits of Johor.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke had estimated the train line to cost RM4 billion, and that Putrajaya was seeking ways to lower the cost.
Mahathir had said the federal government is also open to cheaper alternatives to the RTS. – MKINI
THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT / MKINI
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