Daily Express

23 August, 2010

Lahad Datu: In meeting the requirement of the Department of Environment (DOE), villagers from five kampungs located inside the Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC)’s buffer zone here will be relocated to a nearby area soon.

Lahad Datu District Councillor, Kassim Sulaiman, disclosed this while visiting one of the affected villages, Kampung Sabah Baru, in Tenggah Nippah, recently.

Also present were councillor Sharil Haji Shafiee, Village Chief Patimah Nasirin and Village Security Committee Chairwoman Rohana Haji zulkifli.

The visit also identified some 50 houses within the proposed buffer zone.

Kassim said the Council would set up a Special Committee to be headed by District Officer Haji Zulkifli Haji Nasir and comprising officers of POIC and all relevant government departments to deal with the relocation exercise.

“The deliberations will focus on the requirement of DOE to set up of a buffer zone and its effects on the nearby villages.

“Also, the Special Committee needs to address issues of demolition of houses within the buffer zone, payment of compensation and where to resettle the affected house owners,” he said.

He said the relocation exercise would only be carried out after all issues mentioned are sorted out.

“All councilors were briefed on POIC’s problem during the recent full Council meeting chaired by the District officer,” he said.

Kassim further noted that the Council would also be discussing on the position of the affected villages, i.e. Kg Baru Sabah and Desa Bajau, which are currently under its rating zone.

“If POIC were to take away these two areas, will the Lahad Datu District Council be compensated? This matter will definitely be raised in the next Council meeting,” he said.

Touching on compensation to affected villagers, Kassim, who is also Silam Barisan National Secretary, said the Council leaves it to POIC management to arrange with the affected villagers.

Meanwhile, according to Sharil, Kampung Sabah Baru was established in 1996 and currently has some 600 houses with an estimated 4,000 residents, a majority of whom are Muslims.

He further noted that besides Kampung Sabah Baru, other villages that might be affected in this exercise are Kampung Desa Bajau and Dasar Baru, Taman Warisan and Housing Programme for Hardcore Poor (PPRT) which are located along the perimeters of POIC.

Patimah disclosed that POIC had sent its surveyor recently to identify the borderline of its buffer zone.

“We were informed of the relocating exercise earlier by POIC’s staff, the majority of affected villagers agreed to co-operate on condition that they be justly compensated and relocate to an area near the town, so that they can do their daily work routine uninterrupted,’ she said.

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