KUALA LUMPUR, May 20 — More than 400 families living in the Jinjang Selatan Tambahan housing area here have to be immediately relocated to make way for a development project.

Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said the project would proceed as planned despite the protests of the residents and other parties as the temporary occupation licence for the area had expired.

"I don’t understand why they (the residents and other parties) tried to stop the project... I don’t care because I need to redevelop this place and build affordable homes for them.

"After they have moved out of the area, the developer will pay their house rentals for three years while waiting for the project to be completed, which is RM600 a month. They have asked that to be increased because they said it was not enough,” he told reporters when commenting on the issue here today.

However, Tengku Adnan said the original residents of the area would be given priority to return to the affordable homes once these have been completed.

"The first generation residents will be offered affordable homes for free as reimbursement, while in the case of the second generation, we will help them purchase homes in the same project for RM200,000,” he said.

The media recently reported that residents in the area had protested and lodged police reports against the project which was due to begin soon.

Earlier, Tengku Adnan officiated the handing over ceremony of aid to the residents of the Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory Residents Assocation, People’s Housing Project and public housing surau, as well as urban poor at the Kuala Lumpur City Hall Training Institute here today.  — Bernama