Court Upholds Land Takeover For WCE Despite Residents’ Complaint

A land dispute tied to the long-delayed West Coast Expressway (WCE) has taken another turn after the High Court decided there was no legal issue with the way the Klang land office moved to take over part of a property in Kampung Jawa.

The judge, Khadijah Idris, ruled that even if the possession notice wasn’t personally served on S Subramaniam and 18 others, the acquisition still stands, FMT has reported.

Under Section 56 of the Land Acquisition Act 1960, any slip-up in serving notices doesn’t automatically derail the whole process.

With the case dismissed, Subramaniam was ordered to pay RM5,000 in costs to the land administrator, who was represented by state legal adviser Salim Soib.

Subramaniam had gone to court last year claiming he and other residents were never given Form K,  the document that allows the state to take possession of land for the 233km WCE stretch linking Banting and Taiping.

"The land administrator still requires a court order to evict the landowners since the notice is administrative in nature," said his lawyer, R Kengadharan, in the same report by FMT.

At the heart of the issue is a five-acre plot in Kampung Jawa. The land office wants 1.9 acres for the expressway, but residents say carving out that portion makes the remaining 3.1 acres almost pointless to live on.

Compensation has become another sticking point. The WCE concessionaire has already paid RM5.4 million for the land, yet a private valuer engaged by the residents says the real value is around RM32 million which is a massive gap that both sides clearly disagree on.

Adding to the pressure, residents were previously told to vacate by Nov 24 or risk demolition, though the situation remains in limbo as the dispute drags on.

The next key date is Jan 27, when the valuation hearing will take place. That decision is expected to determine whether the amount paid so far is fair or whether the residents deserve substantially more.