Kelantan wants back Uda's land in Kota Bharu town

KOTA BHARU: The Kelantan government today decided to re-acquire the Pasar Lambak Arked Uda site which belonged to Uda Holdings Bhd to build shop lots to reaccommodate the more than 200 former traders at the market.

State Economic Planning, Finance and Welfare Committee chairman Datuk Husam Musa said decision was reached at the weekly state executive council meeting on Thursday, Jan 26.

"By doing so, the traders will not have to move to the Bazaar Tok Guru permanently, but only temporarily pending completion of the new market complex," he told reporters after the meeting.

The furor started when about 415 traders, including at the Pasar Besar Arked MPKB, complained of the high price and small size of the shop lots at the Bazaar Tok Guru.

On the size of the shop lot, Husam said it was reduced to accommodate more traders.

Husam said that it was inappropriate for Uda to build an apartment and hotel at the site because its agreement with the state government was to use the site to for the traders to operate their business.

On complaints of poor business by traders at the Bazar Buluh Kubu following the closure of the road in the area, Husam said he would discuss the matter with the traders and if necessary, to re-open the road.

Meanwhile in George Town, UDA Holdings Sdn Bhd chairman Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said the company would not surrender the land at Lot Pt 57 Section 11 in Kota Bharu to any parties including the Kelantan government.

He claimed that the state government wanted to seize the land allegedly because of the delay by UDA in developing the site for the proposed upgrading of Arked Uda.

"The state government claimed we are late, while we are waiting for the Kota Bharu Municipal Council to move the traders there to a new site to start work.

"We have moved and paid compensation to 16 of the traders, while the remaining have yet to be relocated because the Bazar Tengku Anis and Bazar Tok Guru cannot accommodate them," he added.

Nur Jazlan said the decision by the Kelantan government to seize the land was unexpected because it had issued the approval for UDA to carry out the upgrading project. — Bernama