Kuala Lumpur: Shop owners at Ampang Park shopping centre have been unable to get their individual strata titles from the Kuala Lumpur Land Office despite occupying the lots for the past 32 years.

This is because the developer keep making changes to the building plans until last year, causing delays to forward the application to the authority.

The developer Low Keng Huat Brothers Realty Sdn Bhd, has appointed a surveyor, Survey International Malaysia to carry out measurement works.

However, the person in charge of the survey works, Chong Tung Yong, claimed that the developer kept renovating and making changes to the shoplots that hindered the measurement work.

"We could not carry out survey works if everything is redrawn and remeasured all the time," he said.

Low Keng Huat Brothers Realty manager, Tham Aman, said survey works are being carried out and expected to be completed by year's end before they could submit a fresh application for the title.

"In the past, we have been rejected twice by the Land Office because they were not satisfied with the measurement.

"On top of that, part of our land was acquired by the Government to facilitate works for the Light Rail Transit (LRT) underpass project and Jalan Ampang road widening project," Tham said.

Yesterday, The Malay Mail went to Ampang Park to listen to the grouses of the shop-lot owners over the strata titles.

Dr Narinder Singh, 74, who operates a clinic there, said he never thought it could take decades just to get a strata title.

"All the owners here operate without a strata title. This is our right as we bought the lots and are not renting them," he said.

K.L. Mah,, 45, opened an electrical shop in the mid 80's and is still waiting for the strata title.

"We have been fighting for the title as the management kept giving excuses. We have had enough of this," he said.

Flora de Alwis, 50, a beautician, said lot owners could not understand why the management and developer did not speed up the application and continued renovating some of the lots.

"We don't  have a say in the management as we don't have our strata titles yet," she lamented.

Lee Chee Soong, 52, said the shop owners have forwarded their plight to the Ministry of Natural Resources (used to be known as Ministry of Land and Cooperative Development) in 2003 but nothing was done on their titles claim.

In March 2001, the developer told us that we could get our titles in three months. We are still waiting," said Lee who operates a handicraft shop.

Ampang Park shopping centre was the first multi-level shopping complex in Kuala Lumpur and opened for business in 1973.