A group of residents from Taman Tun Dr Ismail in Damansara, Kuala Lumpur, have come out against MRT Corp following a breakdown in their negotiations with the mass rapid transit builder.

For more than a year, Pinggir Zaaba residents have been quietly negotiating to have the planned MRT track relocated to the opposite side of the Damansara-Puchong Highway (LDP).

Currently, the track is to be built along the Pinggir Zaaba side of the LDP, less than 30 metres from their houses.

NONE However, after having their pleas dismissed by MRT Corp last month, they have decided to speak out and air their demands.

BN Segambut parliamentary division chairperson Jayanthi Devi Balaguru ( left ) said at a press conference with the residents today that there was plenty of reserve land space for the MRT tracks at the Damansara Utama side of the LDP.

MRT Corp could even build the track underground, Jayanthi told reporters at the home of a Pinggir Zaaba resident in Taman Tun Dr Ismail this morning.

However, should that demand not be met, the residents would seek compensation from MRT Corp for losses in their property value, social and environmental impacts and expenses for temporary relocation.

To this end, they want to appoint an independent third party to assess the amount of compensation due.

The problem first came to their attention in January last year. In February 2011, after seeing displays indicating the track would run along their road, residents met with the developers to suggest relocating the track.

Suggestions shot down

They were eventually told that the plan was finalised and that no realignment would take place, but the residents continued to lobby for a realignment of the MRT track.

The final straw came when their suggestions were shot down by MRT Corp's Stakeholder Relations and Land Use director Haris Fadzilah Hassan last month.

Haris reportedly told them that their suggestion would "bankrupt MRT Corp before the project even begins".

NONE Pinggir Zaaba pro-tem committee chairperson Teoh Chye Tee ( right ) described feeling "sidelined" by MRT Corp after having their pleas ignored.

Teoh also lamented the company's lack of transparency in dealing with the residents, despite negotiating under a "gentleman's agreement" not to approach the media for publicity.

For instance, MRT Corp had supposedly identified 25 out of the 69 houses along the road as "unliveable" but refused to specify how it arrived at the decision.

The company is currently in negotiations with the 25 house owners to buy over the properties on a "willing-seller, willing-buyer" basis, according to the committee's spokesperson Mokhtar Abdul Karim.

Those who are not in the buyout plan will be offered for compensation, but as of today the company has not reached out to residents on to their demands or the scope of compensation they will receive.

Letter sent, but nom reply

The residents' group had last sent a letter to MRT Corp chief executive officer Azhar Abdul Hamid on June 19, but have not heard from the corporation despite stipulating a one-week deadline.

All this came despite Azhar's assurance that he would "bend backwards" to resolve their woes, according to the residents.

NONE Most of the residents are senior citizens who have lived in the area for 35 to 40 years, said Jayanthi, adding that even if their houses were bought out, they would find it difficult to uproot themselves after so long.

And with supposedly more than 30 trips per hour, the MRT operations would cause great discomfort for the residents.

This is in addition to the dust, noise and security issues that residents will face during the three or so years of construction, Jayanthi added.

"(We) would like to categorically state that we have never been against the MRT project.

"Our objections and concerns are only to the possible and very real disruptions to our lives due to the close proximity of the track to our homes," the residents' group said in a press statement handed out to reporters.

azlan