KUALA Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) is offering government housing to former residents of Segambut Estate under humanitarian grounds.
Deputy Federal Territories Minister Datuk Dr Loga Bala Mohan presented offer letters to 25 eligible families although it was not the Government’s practice to provide public housing to occupants on private land.
“A total of 32 families were evicted.
“Three of them own houses and four did not apply.
“So we have extended the offer to the remaining 25 families and they can move in immediately after paying the deposit of between RM390 and RM420.
“The houses are in PPR Beringin, PPR Bukit Jalil and Sri Kelantan Flats and the monthly rent is RM124,” he said.
Also present was DBKL Housing Management and Community Development director Wan Mohammad Ghazali.
The estate residents received eviction notices last year after the land was sold to build a driving school. The residents had refused to move out.
After the final notice of eviction was served, the houses were demolished in June and since then, some residents had been living in tents set up by the roadside near their former homes.
Loga Bala said there was no policy where government housing was extended to occupants of private land.
“However, this was a special case and we made a consideration on humanitarian grounds,” he said.
L. Kalaiselvan, 31, was relieved that the wait was finally over.
“The families who cannot afford to pay high rent and have been living in tents or relatives’ homes can now move into their own place.
“We are very grateful to the Federal Territories Ministry and DBKL for coming to our aid.
“I am the third generation of my family living here and we cannot be evicted just like that,” he said.
