Provoked by the Barisan Nasional's offer of goodies to Felda settlers over the Sungai Buaya issue, the Selangor government has set a deadline for the developers to come up with a plan to settle the matter amicably.

NONE Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim ( right) told reporters this after engaging a 100-odd residents of Kampung Sungai Buaya in a dialogue session.

He said: "If developers don't do it, one of the steps in the plan is for the state government to take over... in three months we will see their reports, if not satisfactory then we will take action".

The promise of salvation was made just hours before the arrival of Prime Minster Najib Abdul Razak to lunch with the villagers after performing Friday prayers at a mosque nearby.

"Don't the tricked by their promises again... if they (BN) give you money take it, but don't sign any documents," he pleaded.

Khalid added that the state will discuss with the village head and arrange for a lawyer to scrutinize the documents before sealing the deals.

  Big dreams bigger nightmares

The settlers were initially promised RM1.2 million each, with payment spread over a 48- month period, when they sold their land to the developer during former menteri besar Muhammad Muhd Taib tenure of office.

NONE The ambition then, was to the develop Hulu Selangor into a northern hub, so the state government persuaded 363 settlers to sell their land totalling 1,335.46 acres in 1994.

But 16 years later, out of the 363 settlers only 57 are left.

Khalid said that the settlers sold their land on the promise that they could give up agriculture as their plots would be converted for development but the project never took off.

And till today the settlers have not received the compensation promised.

"In 2004 and 2008, the BN government promised to solve the problem but to no avail.

"Now with the Hulu Selangor by-election the federal government wants to solve this, we have word that they want give RM50,000 to settlers for waiting so long and also re-development," he said.

However, the state government will have a close look at the plan, and if not profitable and the problems remain insuloble, the developers will not get the necessary authorisation, as "this has been dragging on for far too long", said Khalid.

Citing the state's success in solving problems faced by 274 settlers in Bukit Botak, where the state had acquired the land, Khalid said:

"To why the state government did not solve this sooner or in the past two years, it is because there are 147 abandoned projects, leftovers of the former BN government... we have solved two or three," said Khalid.

"This is not something we solve for elections, we will solve this because we are in power

Meanwhile, on PKR's Zaid Ibrahim chances to win the April 25 Hulu Selangor by-election, Khalid said: "It's 50:50... we are positive but it is a tough fight".

'Grateful Felda settlers will favour BN'