Customers’ cars seized along with demolition of workshops

A car paint shop and a workshop operators have been put in a fix when their customers’ cars were seized in an operation to take back the land the shops occupied.

The shops at Jalan Legong (B29) in Kampong Sungai Serai, Kuang, along with another eatery, had been operating for a decade before they were demolished on Dec 6 by the Gombak Land Office for a road widening project.

“All three of us were given the facilities for free and we were tasked to train school leavers in the village as one of the requirements,” said the paint shop owner Mohd Rafie Mohamad Arif, 35, adding that the shops were on state government land.

He was accompanied by the car workshop operator, Asran Efendy Ahmad Baki, 35 and eatery operator Mohd Azlan Mat Din, 33.

“Our lives revolved around these businesses. Now that we are left without a place to operate in, our livelihoods are at stake. Not only that, students who had been learning the skills from us before entering vocational schools are unable to do so now,” he was reported telling The Star.

The training programme was part of a youth programme organised by the Selangor government.

Asran said the 14 cars seized by the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) were parked within his shop’s compound.

Selayang Parti Rakyat Malaysia division chief Koh Swee Yong, who highlighted their plight in a press conference yesterday, said the Village Development and Security Committee (JKKK) Kampong Sungai Serai gave the three men permission to use the buildings in 2008.

“Gombak Land Office had given us letters on Sept 27 and Oct 23 stating that we were given 10 days to move out. Before we could find an alternative site, the authorities came to demolish the buildings,” Mohd Rafie said.

Koh called on the Gombak Land Office to help the three men to find alternative locations to run the businesses and continue helping the village youths.

“MPS’s action to seize the cars was uncalled for as all vehicles were parked within a fenced area. I would advise MPS to return all 14 cars without any storage charges,” Koh urged.

When contacted by the daily, MPS corporate communications director Mohd Zin Masaod said the council would issue a statement later.