KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 — The groundbreaking operation of the Kampung Sungai Baru Kuala Lumpur development project under the Kampung Baru Development Master Plan 2040 will be carried out at the end of this year, with construction work expected to start in the first quarter of 2025.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the long-delayed redevelopment project of the area is a legacy issue that requires political determination if it is to be resolved.
"The direction of this project requires an 'objective decision' instead of a 'merely populist decision' as other former leaders often claim.
"Within six months since I led the Federal Territories, the redevelopment project that has been abandoned for so long, coming to its eighth year, will now finally be able to start soon," she said during a question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Dr Zaliha was responding to Arau MP Datuk Seri Shahidan Kasim's original query on the latest status of the area's redevelopment project.
At the same time, the minister committed to Kampung Baru remaining a symbol of Malay progress in the heart of Kuala Lumpur and a commercial icon for Malays in the future.
She will also ensure that the implementation of the Kampung Baru 2040 Development Master Plan is transparent and sustainable.
Commenting further on the issue of Kampung Sungai Baru, Dr Zaliha said she had the opportunity to meet with both stakeholders in the area, namely those who agreed to the joint venture (JV) offer from the developer and those who did not accept the JV offer.
"However, after consideration, I believe the government should be fair to the majority who agreed and agreed from the beginning with the Kampung Sungai Baru redevelopment project," she said.
Among the factors of consideration are that the land acquisition was done in an orderly manner, the land valuation by the Property Valuation and Services Department was fair based on the First Schedule of the Land Acquisition Act, and the Department of the Director General of Lands and Mines also gave additional compensation of between 10 and 15 per cent.
In addition, the minority of stakeholders who did not accept the JV offer had been given temporary accommodation and had been given the same opportunity as the majority, namely a house with a larger and more comfortable area and guaranteed value that would increase in the future through a JV agreement with the developer.
— Bernama
