BY WONG PEK MEI AND YVONNE THERESA NATHAN

Having their say: Yee (right) handing a letter of the residents’ concerns to Mohd Khairul (left) .

THE mixed development project in Taman Metropolitan Kepong, which residents in the area had protested, will still be going ahead. Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Mohd Amin Nordin Abd Aziz said the land was one of the areas identified by the Federal Territories Ministry and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to achieve the 50,000 units of affordable homes in Kuala Lumpur.

“We cannot reduce the size of the project as it has been approved to achieve the 50,000 target and we’re struggling to get land,” he said during the launch of Laman@Eco Sky.

He said the park would not be affected and would still be “intact”. When asked if he would meet residents who objected to the project, he said there was no need for it as the decision had already been made. He added the project would not affect the lake in the park. In a text message reply, he added that every state had to implement affordable housing schemes.

“For Kuala Lumpur, the target is to build 50,000 units.

“So far, 25,000 units have been approved and are under construction,” he said.

Amin Nordin said the demand for affordable housing was very high.

“As such, certain areas have been designated for affordable housing development.

“In Kepong, at least five areas are involved.

“This includes the vacant area near Taman Metropolitan Kepong,” he said.

On Wednesday, a group of residents of Fortune Park in Kepong held a protest in front of the Federal Territories Land Office in Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin. The project comprises two blocks of affordable apartments (1,514 units), four blocks of apartments (1,472 units) and 35 shoplots.

During the protest, Land Office assistant director Mohd Khairul Safwan Othman Odanu received the letter from the 20 residents who had gathered. The residents were represented by Kepong community service centre head Yee Poh Ping. The residents also protested at Menara DBKL 1 in Jalan Raja Laut after leaving the Land Office. Yee said they wanted to know why a green lung had been given up for the project.

“I have yet to get any answers from the mayor or anyone in DBKL on details of the project,” he said.

He said the current project plans showed it would take up 4ha of land.

“However, we received a letter from DBKL stating that 8.5ha of land will be developed and affordable housing will be built which will be sold below RM300,000 per unit.

“It is then safe to assume that there will be another developer coming in for another project for the remaining 4.5ha?

“We want this project stopped immediately,” he said.

Yee said the residents also hoped DBKL would consider downsizing the current project by at least half of the approved units.

He pointed out that there was no need to give up the green area when there were many joint venture projects between DBKL and developers that had been delayed.

“Take Rumah Panjang Jinjang Utara, for example, where the development has been delayed for 20 years already.

“The Jinjang Selatan Tambahan project has been delayed for 10 years. DBKL should pull back those land areas and use them for affordable housing projects,” he said.