Ampang Park Shopping Centre owners still in limbo

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 21): Ampang Park Shopping Centre owners remain in limbo after their much anticipated meeting with the mall’s management yesterday over the compulsory acquisition of the building.

Ampang Park 1Malaysia Traders Association vice-president Wan Kamal Izzuddin Wan said many of their queries remained unanswered.

“The owners and tenants were upset that the Ampang Park Management Corporation (APMC) did not notify them about the proposed acquisition, despite knowing about it nine months ago,” he said.

Wan Kamal said the owners were also unhappy that MRT Corp, which also had representatives at the meeting, had not proposed alternative sites for the station.

“We also want to know why they persist on knocking down the entire building when the construction of Ampang Park Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Station station only involves a part of it,” he said.

Wan Kamal also questioned the proposed mutual agreement put forth by MRT saying it was only made verbally.

“We want to see the details, where is the black and white? How can we be party to a mutual agreement without seeing the terms and conditions?” he said.

Wan Kamal also said traders wanted to the delay the compulsory acquisition because they have not been given ample time to prepare.

“We have not made a decision on our next course of action, because we are still contemplating our options,” he said.

Following Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor’s statement that Kuala Lumpur City Hall would relocate all the traders in the mall, Wan said they needed the details of the relocation plans.

“Where are they going to relocate us to? It must be a suitable place where there is traffic otherwise it will be difficult for us to survive,” he said.

Wan said they were now pinning their hopes on the Federal Territories Ministry to look into their plight.

Ampang Park owners and tenants representative Dr Dzulkhaini Husain claimed the owners, including the Low Keng Huat family which owns 104 lots, and a majority of the other owners want the mall to remain as it was.

“We want the mall to remain, because we are not interested in money, but if the government wants to acquire the land, then we have no choice,” he said, adding that the owners must be duly compensated.

MRT Corp Strategic Communications and Public Relations director Datuk Najmuddin Abdullah, who attended the meeting, said the company was invited to give a detail briefing on the MRT project.

“We have explained to the owners the reason for the selection of the site was to integrate the MRT station with Ampang Park LRT station,” he said.

Najumuddin said that MRT Corp would continue to talk to the owners.

Earlier yesterday, The Malaysian Insider reported that Kuala Lumpur City Hall has been tasked to relocate the traders for the duration of the Ampang Park MRT project.

Tengku Adnan said he had instructed City Hall to ensure the traders have a place to do business.

“We will also ask Mayor Datuk Mhd Amin Nordin Abdul Aziz to liaise with the traders,” he said.

On Monday, a group of shop owners and tenants staged a peaceful protest at Ampang Park against Putrajaya’s compulsory acquisition of the land and planned demolition of the shopping centre to build the MRT station.

On Oct 13, The Malaysian Insider reported that Ampang Park Shopping Centre would be demolished to make way for the station.

MRT Corp commercial and stakeholder relations director Haris Fadzilah Hassan said that two options were given at a meeting with Ampang Park Management Corporation.

“If the owners chose land acquisition, they would be compensated.

“Alternatively, they could choose to sign the mutual agreement with MRT Corp, which will see them own the surface land while the underground part will be surrendered to the government,” he had said.

Harris had said with the mutual agreement, MRT Corp would demolish Ampang Park Shopping Centre and build a new shopping centre for the owners once the Ampang Park MRT project was complete. -- The Malaysian Insider