By Danial Dzulkifly
SHAH ALAM, Nov 23 — The state government is committed to fairly compensating all individuals affected by the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) construction, including squatters residing on state-owned land.
State executive councillor for trade and investment Ng Sze Han, speaking during the Selangor State Legislative Assembly session today, said this policy extends to all sections of the ECRL project within Selangor.
This includes Section 7, which covers a portion of the Genting Tunnel spanning 6.8km; Section 8, stretching from Gombak to Serendah over 35.9km; and Section 9, from Serendah to Port Klang, covering 48.7km.
Any compensation offered will align with the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act 1960.
“Homeowners directly impacted by the ECRL project’s land acquisitions will receive compensation based on the Land Administrator’s award. Additionally, ex-gratia payments will be made to squatters residing on government land.
“Furthermore, the state government proposes to offer those affected by the project the opportunity to purchase Rumah Selangorku homes, with priority given to homeowners displaced by the ECRL construction.
“These homes are part of ongoing and upcoming projects managed by the Selangor Housing and Property Board (LPHS),” he said, adding the offer is contingent on the agreement of the affected individuals.
Ng was answering on behalf of Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari to a question by Sementa state assemblyman Noor Najhan Mohamad Salleh on whether the state has engaged with residents, specifically those residing within Section 9 of the ECRL project.
Elaborating, he said 22 meetings were held with community representatives, village heads, and elected officials to explain the route and land acquisition status along Section 9 from May 2022 to September this year.
Section 9 of the ECRL project will include three stations, namely the Puncak Alam station in the Kuala Selangor district, as well as the Kapar and Jalan Kastam stations in the Klang district.
The route will pass through major highways and rivers, including the North-South Expressway, the Kuala Lumpur-Kuala Selangor (Latar) Expressway, and Sungai Klang.
The Klang district stretch of the route, which spans 20.44km, will traverse several key locations, including the proposed Kapar Hospital site and industrial parks.
Passenger services for this section will terminate at Jalan Kastam in Port Klang, while the cargo route extends towards Westport and Northport.
