FT Land Office Has Just Issued Kebun-Kebun Bangsar A Final Eviction Notice & No Appeal
The garden has been instructed to tear down its structures and vacate the land as soon as possible.
By May Vin Ang — 29 Jun 2022, 01:26 PM
Community garden, Kebun-Kebun Bangsar, has recently been slapped with an eviction notice from the Federal Territories Land and Mines Office
The notice, shared by Kebun-Kebun Bangsar on Instagram on Tuesday, 28 June, has instructed the garden to tear down its structures and vacate the land.
According to the office, the urban garden violated Section 425 (1) of the National Land Code for using land that is situated below Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) high-voltage power lines without obtaining permission from the authorities.
The notice said that a failure to comply will result in a fine of up to RM500,000 or imprisonment of up to five years.
It said that any appeals will not be considered.
The initiative was founded by architect Ng Sek San in 2017, who wanted to repurpose an idle piece of land on Lorong Bukit Pantai into a community space
The 3.2-hectare terrace garden is currently run by volunteers and produces a variety of vegetables, fruits, flowers, and has a number of farm animals like chickens, ducks, goats, and a cow.
The garden is open daily, except Mondays, for free to the public.
Coincidentally, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had praised Kebun-Kebun Bangsar earlier this month
In his speech for World Environment Day, the Prime Minister gave the place a special mention for being a self-run community garden, which is in line with his office's commitment towards a green and more sustainable future.
In a last-ditch appeal, Kebun-Kebun Bangsar had tagged the Prime Minister in their Instagram post about the eviction. In the post, many other social media users also voiced their support for the community garden.
However, Federal Territories Land and Mines Office director Datuk Muhammad Yasir Yahya has confirmed the notice and stated that the decision is final
According to New Straits Times, he said the community garden was served a final eviction notice as it violated its Temporary Occupancy Licence conditions.
"Conditions for approved nurseries include the types of crops and no permanent structures are allowed under power lines, according to technical specifications from TNB," he said in a statement yesterday.
Yasir added that they have also received verbal and written complaints from residents in the vicinity about Kebun-Kebun Bangsar being an alleged nuisance.
"The investigations found that the farm kept livestock such as chickens, ducks, and sheep that caused other issues such as odour, flies, as well as noise disruption that became the main cause for the enforcement," he said.
