Lawyer cries ‘bullying’ after St Ignatius Church Petaling Jay told to remove car park built on state land

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 2): The St Ignatius Church in Petaling Jaya has been directed to remove a car park it built on adjacent land belonging to the Selangor Department of Irrigation and Drainage.

According to Free Malaysia Today, the Petaling District Office issued a notice to the church on Oct 29, alleging the car parks to be illegally constructed and in breach of Section 425 of the National Land Code concerning unlawful occupation of reserved land.

The church was given 14 days to comply, according to lawyer Joy Appukuttan who is representing it.

Appukuttan said the church obtained the DID’s written approval in 2012 to level the area and use it as a parking lot, adding that the church had been operating under the assumption that it was permitted to use the land for this purpose.

“This action is bullying the church,” Appukuttan stated, criticising the authorities for not engaging in discussions before issuing the notice.

The lawyer also said he has contacted Bandar Utama assemblyman Jamaliah Jamaluddin to help arrange a meeting with the relevant government bodies to resolve the matter.

St Ignatius Church, a prominent institution in the area, has relied on the parking bays to accommodate its congregation.

The dispute has raised concerns among church members about the potential disruption to services if the parking bays are removed. – Malay Mail