Gombak resident sues ECRL over house damage and slope collapse risk

Hishamuddin Jumat spent nearly two years writing letters, making calls and filing complaints on East Coast Rail Link (ECRL). Nobody moved. The 54-year-old Taman Mutiara Gombak 2 resident did what two years of ignored appeals could not. He filed a RM1.3 million lawsuit at the KL High Court.

The suit names three defendants: China Communications Construction Sdn Bhd (CCC), Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd, and Majlis Perbandaran Selayang. All three are key parties behind the ECRL project. Construction near his home started in early 2024.

“A landslip will not only affect my house but also the ECRL track structure,” he said at a press conference. His lawyer, Ashmadi Othman, was present. “My family’s safety is at stake. So is the safety of passengers using the service when it opens early next year,” he said.

What the ECRL construction did to his home

When ECRL construction started near his property in early 2024, Hishamuddin said the impact was immediate. Strong vibrations shook his house. Cracks appeared in the walls, floor and ceiling. Water built up in the slope behind his property, raising the risk of soil movement.

He filed a formal complaint to China Communications Construction and Malaysia Rail Link in February 2024. His complaint, he says, went unanswered. He then wrote to the Prime Minister, the Transport Ministry and the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry.

The responses he received sent him in circles. The Selangor Menteri Besar and the Works Minister both referred him back to the companies. The companies had already ignored him once.

In August 2024, Hishamuddin hired a geology expert at his own expense. Further detailed investigations followed, including a full geotechnical report. The expert reports confirmed what he already feared — high water saturation in the slope and a significant risk of collapse. Throughout this, the defendants stayed uncooperative, he says.

Why the stakes go beyond one family’s home

Hishamuddin’s lawsuit is not just about cracks in a ceiling. The slope behind his house sits directly adjacent to the ECRL track structure. If the slope fails, the consequences extend far beyond his property.

He said this plainly at the press conference. A landslip would threaten the ECRL track itself. The line opens in early 2027 — Malaysia’s most ambitious rail project in decades. Poor water drainage management during construction could cause a slope failure. That puts commuters at risk, not just one family.

That is the detail that moves this story from a neighbourhood complaint into something larger. The same construction that cracked his walls could compromise the infrastructure billions of ringgit were spent building. If the geotechnical reports are right.

None of the three defendants had publicly responded at the time of writing. The case is before the KL High Court.

Two years of waiting — and what it says about the complaints process

His case shows a pattern that goes beyond ECRL. Big infrastructure projects in Malaysia regularly draw complaints from nearby residents. Residents near these projects often find the complaints process sends them in loops. From the contractor to the developer to the ministry and back. Without resolution.

He went directly to the construction companies. He escalated to the PM’s Office and elected officials. He paid for expert reports himself to back up his claims. He waited nearly two years. The lawsuit was not his first choice. It was his last.

That dynamic is worth examining regardless of how this case resolves. No private citizen should need to fund expert studies and file court suits just to get a government project to respond.

Kampung Sungai Chinchin residents raised similar issues in 2023. They flagged piling machinery near a kindergarten and a lack of information from contractors. Whether their complaints found faster resolution than Hishamuddin’s remains unclear.

If you live near a construction site and notice structural damage, start with proper documentation. Photograph every crack and every change to your property as soon as it appears. Log every complaint and every response with dates.

Expert reports matter. Hishamuddin’s case was strengthened by the geology and geotechnical reports he paid for. Without expert assessment, complaints about vibrations and cracks are hard to prove in court.

The Tribunal for Consumer Claims handles some property complaints. Complex construction cases like this one typically need civil litigation. Legal aid is available through the Bar Council’s Legal Aid Centre, free for those who qualify.

Whatever the outcome, the lawsuit has done something two years of letters could not. It has put the ECRL’s construction impact on the public record