Ampang Park strata owners, tenants continue fight with judicial review

Thirty-nine strata owners and tenants of the Ampang Park Shopping Centre today filed a judicial review application to challenge the approval issued by the Federal Territories Ministry and three others over land acquisition for the Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Sungai Buloh-Serdang-Putrajaya project.

The plaintiffs, who represent 62 strata owners and tenants, filed the application at the High Court Registrar's Office here through Messrs Jason Ng & Partners, naming the ministry, the Malaysian government, Federal Territories Lands and Mines director and Federal Territories Land administrator as respondents.

The strata owners and tenants are seeking a declaration that the Form D dated Aug 17, 2015 and the Form E dated Oct 22, 2015 of the Land Acquisition Act 1960 issued by the respondents were unconstitutional, unlawful, illegal, null and void.

They are also seeking a certiorari order to revoke the approval.

Besides that, the applicants are also asking for a court order to stay all forms of land acquisition proceedings or decisions until the judicial review is completed.

At a press conference held at court lobby, Ampang Park Petty Traders Welfare Association deputy chairman, Wan Kamal Izuddin Wan Kassim said most of the owners had agreed to cooperate with the government over the project but they did not want the shopping centre building to be demolished.

"We hope the MRT management will walk their talk that the Ampang Park shopping centre would not be demolished. There is no reason to demolish the first shopping centre in Malaysia," he said.

He said the Ampang Park shopping centre which was built by Low Keng Huat Brothers Realty Sdn Bhd in 1973 had 253 business lots.