NST: Any land seizure action must adhere to the law - Selangor MB

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SHAH ALAM: The act of seizing land used as an illegal waste disposal site in Kapar, Klang cannot be done in a short period.

Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said it needs to be in accordance with the law, and the state government needs to give a certain period to the owner of the site to restore the land before further action can be taken.

"We (the Selangor government) once lost a court case because we confiscated a land in a short period and did not give (enough) time to the owner to restore the land.

"So for a case like this, we do have to give time to the owner to restore the land. If we seize it, we may lose the lawsuit (based on experience). I believe the land office and the Klang Municipal Council (MPK) have already issued a specific notice to the owner to restore the land.

"But if the time comes and they fail to do so, the state government will carry out the next process, which is the land acquisition. Only after the acquisition is done can we restore the area," he said when met after the Selangor Property Group Corporate Identity Launch Ceremony at the Shah Alam Convention Centre (SACC) today.

On Nov 16, the media reported that the Department of Environment (DoE) ordered the landowner to immediately clean up a 9.7-hectare site in Kapar that was contaminated with oil and vehicle emissions that had been bothering residents since the beginning of last November.

The Natural Resources and Climate Change Minister (NRECC), Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, was also present to visit the location, which is near the five residential areas.

Separately, Amirudin said the construction of 2,300 affordable housing units in Bernam Jaya, Hulu Selangor, which is expected to start next year, will open up new business and job opportunities in the northern area of Selangor.

He said Kumpulan Hartanah Selangor Berhad's (KHSB) ground floor terrace house development project on 191 acres of land can boost the economy in the area.

"The exploration of new areas (for the construction of affordable houses), for example in Bernam Jaya, will be a catalyst for future development, especially in North Selangor.

"We believe the construction of Proton City next to Bernam Jaya will benefit the residents of Selangor," he said.