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CONSTRUCTION of the proposed Semenyih Bypass Road is moving ahead as affected landowners question why their land is being acquired before compensation, replacement land and access are settled.
Residents insist their objection is not to the proposed Muslim cemetery in Hulu Semenyih, but to the 4.3km bypass linking the Kajang Dispersal Link Expressway (SILK) to Jalan Sungai Lalang.
Kampung Sungai Pening Action Committee member Shahril Faizal Abd Samat said villagers were concerned about the road alignment, which would cut through the village and require the acquisition of privately owned land.
"We have no objection to the proposed cemetery itself. Our concerns are the road alignment through Kampung Sungai Pening, the acquisition of our land and the loss of about one-third of the cemetery area, which we understand would be given to the developer," he told Sinar Daily.
Shahril said residents were frustrated by what they described as a lack of consultation despite the bypass having been promoted as an approved project years earlier.
"The bypass was reportedly advertised as an approved project in 2021 or 2023, yet by 2026 we had received no information, updates or consultation, even though we are the affected landowners," he said.
Villagers later sought assistance from Semenyih assemblyman Nushi Mahfodz, who helped them compile documents, organise protests and submit objections to the authorities.
The proposed alignment would affect 35 lots covering about 47.7 acres. Residents have proposed four alternative routes, which they believe could connect the bypass to SILK without acquiring village land.
"We want the developer and government to reconsider the alignment and use the original route instead of taking land from our village," he said, stating that many were worried that land acquisition could leave them with limited access to their remaining agricultural properties.
Compensation arrangements remain uncertain, Shahril said, with only one unrecorded briefing in January, where filming was prohibited and residents' questions went unanswered.
He added that construction activity had already started, with some oil palm trees felled, although work was currently confined to land owned by the developer.
For Sitam Ali, 63, the proposed land acquisition threatens the fishpond and durian orchard he relies on for retirement income. He was informed that about half of his land lot would be acquired for the bypass.
"The bypass will split my land into two. I don't know how I will access the remaining portion or continue working on it.
"Taking the land would mean losing the income I depend on to support myself after retirement," he said.
Sitam added that the property was inherited from his father and formed part of what he described as 'some of the remaining Malay Reserve Land' in the area.
"This was my father's land, passed down to me. If these lands are taken, I question what will be left," he said.
Sitam later submitted a memorandum opposing the project and wrote to the Selangor Menteri Besar's Office with signatures from villagers and affected landowners, but only received an acknowledgement letter.
Residents also raised concerns about flooding risks, road safety and the social impact of routing a four-lane bypass through the village and questioned whether commercial considerations linked to nearby developments such as Anyara Hills and KHK Land had influenced the proposed alignment, although those claims remain unverified.
On Jan 27, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the bypass was needed to ease traffic congestion and that land acquisition issues would be addressed.
