Land given for homes sold off instead
The Star 2/10/2005

IPOH: A pomelo orchard given to a developer for a housing project in Tambun has been sold to another company, Tambun Umno Youth chief Nasir Ismail said.

“We are shocked to find that 16ha out of the 24.3ha plot that was given to a developer for a housing project has been sold to another company,” he said.

The land given by the state government to Syarikat Yusham Construction Sdn Bhd for housing years ago had been sold for RM5mil to Brilliant Leisure Sdn Bhd, he said.

“The land was given for a purpose but the developer has sold it and this is not right,” he said yesterday after Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, who is Tambun MP, presented RM35,000 worth of fertiliser and pesticide to 79 pomelo farmers.

“The developer had not informed the state government or the poor pomelo farmers, who have to make way for the project, (of the sale),” he said.

Nasir, who is also an Ipoh city councillor, said he would ensure that the pomelo farmers were not evicted.

He added that he would be sending a memorandum to Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Tajol Rosli Ghazali to inform him of Tambun Umno Youth's findings.

It will be the third memorandum from the group which had sent two other memorandums on Aug 11 and 13.

In both memorandums, they expressed disappointment over the agriculture land being approved to a company owned by a state executive councillor’s wife at the expense of 43 pomelo farmers who had been toiling the land for over 40 years.

Ahmad Husni said the state government had to look into the matter seriously as the Tambun pomelo was a “brand” synonymous to Perak.

“We hope this developer will also agree to move to another land to allow these pomelo farmers to continue with their cultivation,” he said.

He also urged the affected pomelo farmers to continue with their cultivation while he solves the land matter with the state government.