Selangor to put up list of those ineligible for plots in Bukit Botak
(The Star) PETALING JAYA: The names of hundreds of ineligible individuals – including two who were only five years old when they were allocated land – who were offered lots in the Bukit Botak squatter resettlement area in Selayang will be made public.
The list of the 1,634 original squatters will also be displayed for public viewing at suraus, government offices, markets and strategic areas in Selayang.
The Selangor Government will also remove the names of the underaged, those who were not from the area, grassroots politicians and other ineligible individuals who were said to have been given plots in the resettlement area in Taman Selayang Mutiara.
Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said the decision was made at Wednesday’s state exco meeting in Shah Alam.
He said the state government was empowered to acquire the plots which had been illegally allocated to individuals.
“The state will hand over these plots to those who are eligible, and those who have been left out as well as others who did not get theirs,” he said after chairing the meeting.
On the move to make the names public, Khalid said this was being done as part of the investigation process by a special committee set up to look into the Bukit Botak land scam which had its beginnings more than two decades ago.
“We want to be transparent and let the public view the list of the names of those who had been offered land and others who had been deprived.
“We also want public feedback and will listen to all those with information on the land scam,” he said.
The special committee has been given three months to complete its investigations.
Khalid said the state was serious in its effort to solve the issue.
“By reviewing the name list, we would have no choice but to offer the plots to the rightful occupants of Bukit Botak,” he said.
Meanwhile, state Housing, Building Management and Squatters Committee chairman Iskandar Abdul Samad said that the special committee headed by him would be represented by officers from the Selayang Land Office and the state government.
“We have a huge task before us and we will have to conclude our investigation report by Aug 20.
“The committee will have to interview all the 1,634 squatters to ensure fair investigation,” he said.
Starprobe reported on May 14 that at least two five-year-olds were among 81 youngsters who were allocated plots of land in the squatter settlement in the 1980s.
The article resulted in the Selangor Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commis-sion raiding and seizing more than 1,600 files from the Selayang Land Office last Friday.
