TAMAN Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) residents who had protested against a proposed high-rise development near the Taman Rimba Kiara, hoped the authorities would build only the planned affordable homes to relocate longhouse residents without encroaching into the recreational park land.
They also agreed, after a townhall meeting last Saturday, that the park land should be gazetted as a public park to ensure no development took place there.
TTDI Residents Association chairman Abdul Hafiz Abu Bakar said gazetting was vital to stop development from taking place at the park which was meant for public use.
“As long as it is not gazetted, development will take place at the park.
“We are also not against the development of the affordable housing for the longhouse residents as they deserve it,” he said during a press conference held after a peaceful march at Taman Rimba Kiara yesterday.
Abdul Hafiz said the residents would oppose the proposed development of high-rise serviced apartments if it encroached into the recreational park land.
At about 11am yesterday, those who came for the peaceful march voiced their objections about the development project by holding placards and yelled “Save our park”.
Residents urging the authorities to gazette the area as a public park to ensure no developments will take place there.
They also signed a petition against the development, which the RA would submit to Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) by tomorrow.
“We have sent DBKL our objections and hope to be called for an objection hearing soon,” he added.
Friends of Bukit Kiara and RA exco member Dr Pola Singh questioned the Government about overdue process of the gazetting of the park.
“It should be done earlier and why hasn’t it been gazetted yet? DBKL should also expedite the process of gazetting the Kuala Lumpur City Draft Plan.
“Agreeing to this project is like opening the flood gates for other developers to plan projects at the park,” he said.
Last Thursday, Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Mohd Amin Nordin Abdul Aziz had said that DBKL had approved a piece of land, where the longhouses currently stood, to be developed.
He said the approval was given as the said land was privately owned and was not part of the park land.
“Remember the principle – if it (private land) is yours, no one can stop you. If you disagree with the project, buy it,” he told reporters after a buka puasa event at Menara DBKL.
He added that he had received a memorandum from the TTDI residents objecting the proposed high-rise project but had yet to meet them.
The proposed development project by Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan on Lot PT 9244, Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad next to the Taman Awam Berskala Besar Bukit Kiara, includes eight blocks of serviced apartments ranging from 42 to 54 storeys (1,766 units).
Under Rule 5 of the Federal Territory Planning Act 1982, stakeholders could submit their objections to Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) Urban Planning Department before June 29.
On the land where the longhouses were located, Amin Nordin said 124 families lived there, many of whom were descendants of rubber estate workers. He added that they had waited decades for affordable homes.
When asked why the affordable housing project also included expensive serviced apartments, the mayor said the project had to have commercial value as the developers would want to earn profits.
