MIC OFFERING RM 3.2 MILLION TO GET BACK KAMPUNG BUAH PALA LAND

July 23, 2009 20:59 PM

PENANG, July 23 (Bernama) -- The MIC is willing to offer RM3.2 million if the Penang government can get back the land in Kampung Buah Pala, Bukit Gelugor from the developer.

MIC Youth chief T. Mohan said the move was to enable the residents to continue living in the village.

He was speaking to reporters after handing a memorandum to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng through the latter's political secretary Ng Wei Eik at the Tun Abdul Razak Complex (Komtar), here, Thursday.

Mohan and a group of men arrived at Komtar at about 5.30pm to hand over the memorandum immediately after he was released from police arrest.

They were arrested about 10am today in Jalan Datuk Keramat here for illegal assembly to hand over the memorandum to the Chief Minister.

Asked whether the value of the land of the land could be higher than the price at which the land was sold, Mohan said: "Why did the Pakatan Rakyat state government proceed with the sale of the land when they knew the value was higher?"

According to the records, the Barisan Nasional had initiated the sale of the land but the confirmation letter on the land ownership was issued by the present state government led by Lim on March 27 last year.

There was commotion at Komtar after Mohan handed over the memorandum when a man verbally abused the group, causing them to chase the man and beat him, but the police managed to restore order.

The Kampung Buah Pala land controversy came about when the villagers were ordered to vacate the land before Aug 3 following the sale of the 2.6ha land by the previous state government to Koperasi Pegawai Kerajaan Pulau Pinang Bhd, which then appointed Nusmetro Ventures (P) Sdn to develop the land.



-- BERNAMA