Shrinking plots dilemma

14/12/2007 The Star Story and photo by ELAN PERUMAL

THEY paid a hefty sum of nearly RM400,000 each for factory lots in the growing commercial township of Puchong but, after a 10-year wait, the 208 buyers are worried that they may be short-changed.

The buyers claim that a new company that took over ownership of the land they purchased is giving them smaller plots than the parcels they had paid for.

According to the buyers pro-tem committee secretary, Liew Lee Lee, Kinrara assemblyman Dr Kow Cheong Wei had managed to get the authorities to stop the development of land for the time being.


Checking the plan: Dr Kow (third from right) and members of the protem committee taking a look at the site plan of the project.
Liew said the new landowner had the master title for the proposed park and was embarking on a mixed development project for the whole area.

“The company has no right to develop the lots that had been sold to us earlier. We are shocked to learn about the new development,” she said.

“After Dr Kow took up the matter with the enforcement tribunal of the Housing and Local Government Ministry, the developer was ordered not to touch our lots,” she said.

According to Liew, the buyers paid RM382,000 each to the original developer for the intermediate lots. The corner lots cost more.

“There were more than 300 lots available but only 208 were taken up,” she said.

According to pro-tem committee vice-chairman S. Mahalingam, the new landowner was not offering the buyers their original plots because the land had been earmarked for development.

Mahalingam said they were in an awkward position as their plots had been earmarked for development without their knowledge.

“We are very confused and tired of the whole situation,” he said during a press conference at Dr Kow’s office.

Mahalingam said they would be holding a meeting for all the 208 buyers this Sunday with the objective of obtaining a consensus on the next course of action.

He said they had tracked down 120 buyers but were unable to reach the others.

“We hope all the buyers will be present so that we will have a stronger united voice,” he said.

The meeting will be held this Sunday at 10am at the Rumah Pusapanita at Jalan Hose in Kuala Lumpur, near the Dewan Bahasa and Pustaka. For details, call Mahalingam at 019-334 4555 or Liew at 012-288 7070.