With only three days left till Deepavali, some 40 residents of Kampung Railway in Sentul today held a protest for a roof over their heads as they face eviction.

This follows a Kuala Lumpur High Court decision on Oct 31 that ordered the residents to vacate the land as they were unable to prove that they had permission to occupy the area.

However, residents of the kampung whose ancestors were railway workers said their families have lived in the area for over 100 years until the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) land was privatised to YTL Corporation in 1993.

“All we want is an assurance that we can have a roof over our heads. This may be our last Deepavali where we have our homes, and it is a black Deepavali,” said resident Darshan Singh (below), who is also the Kampung Railways action committee chairperson.

Waving black flags and also the Jalur Gemilang, the residents protested for over an hour along Jalan Lapang Besar as passing vehicles honked in support.

They were also armed with placards among which read: ‘We hope the developer can give us light and fulfill their promise to Kampung Railway residents’ and ‘Kampung Railways residents are Malaysians and we want our rights to be defended’.

According to lawyer Abdul Rashid Ismail who represents 101 of the residents, YTL and the Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Ministry had promised them low-cost apartments as compensation.

However, even after the eviction order, there has not been any black and white document to assure that the promise will be followed through, he said.

‘Sleepless nights’

“The request is simple – low cost apartments be built by the developer and sold to them. They are not asking it for free.

“They also want temporary housing and some relocation expenses, but now there is a court order and no letter of commitment.

“This is causing them sleepless night and anxiety because at anytime now, the developer can move in and evict them and they don’t have any other house to go to,” said Abdul Rashid (right, in white).

Batu MP Tian Chua who was present to show support warned that residents will protest at Putrajaya and YTL’s headquarters after Deepavali, if the developer and the government do not fulfill their promises.

“We have been waiting for over a decade for negotations. Then they said, let’s finish the court proceedings first – now it is finished, and again no discussion. The people are running out of patience.

“To have low cost housing (as compensation) is universal in accommodating development. You can’t just take the land and develop, (providing housing compensation) is the norm … and a social responsibility,” he said.

Chua (left) added that Federal Territories Minister Raja Nong Chik had in Parliament assured that places of worship that have to make way for development would be properly relocated.

However Kampung Railway’s Hindu temple has yet to receive word from the government on its relocation.

‘Sold like slaves’

Another resident who only wanted to be known as Kumar lamented that the KTMB land was abruptly sold off without concern for the generations of railway workers who stay there.

“We are being sold like slaves. How can you just sell the land without any regard for the people living on it?” he said.

He added that he was worried whether the developer would fulfill its promises, since the eviction order is out with no official assurances from them in sight.

“Before this, (Deputy Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister) M Saravanan came and showed us nice pictures of apartments from the architect.

“He said don’t worry, we will be able to buy them at a cheaper price, but now there is nothing,” he said.

Lead counsel Abdul Rashid said the residents will be observing the developer’s next move before deciding to appeal the eviction order. Assisting in the case is Shafrin Halim.