Oppose application, City Hall urged

The Star 26/5/2004

THE Bukit Damansara House Owners Association, Kuala Lumpur, called a meeting of its members recently to oppose an application for planning permission made to City Hall. The development project concerns one eight-storey block of luxury apartments in Jalan Teruntung, Bukit Damansara. 

About 50 members and Segambut MP Dr Tan Kee Kwong attended the meeting, chaired by association president Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman along with committee member Datuk Dr Sam Abraham. 

Residents had heard about plans for the project and were worried that it would increase the population density, traffic and other social problems. 

The association had even engaged a lawyer to sit in during the meeting to address the legal aspects of the situation. 

“We are here to lodge our protest against the project as it will be another encroachment into our neighbourhood,” said Dr Abraham. 

He added that over the last decade, there had been numerous development projects in the area. 

He pointed out that in an area of 1.5km radius encompassed by Jalan Dungun, Jalan Bruas, Jalan Cemperal and Jalan Teruntung, there were already three condominiums, two kindergartens and a primary school. 

“The authorities have made mistakes in the past by approving projects in high density areas and this is just another attempt by them to change the environment. We do not want Bukit Damansara to become another Bangsar or Sri Hartamas,” he stated. 

Dr Abraham said the local authority should not just blatantly approve projects without weighing the consequences of such developments. He urged residents to voice their concern over the project and act now before it was too late. 

“Instead of a well-planned and balanced community Iike the ones in Singapore, we have a very haphazard development where the changing of rules ignores the reason the early purchasers had bought the properties,” he added. 

Among the queries raised by residents during the one-and-a-half-hour meeting was whether they could still put in their objections to City Hall since the due date had passed. 

The residents claimed that they had only come to know about the project plans much later. 

Several of the older residents took the opportunity to speak about the early days in Bukit Damansara when it was a more green and peaceful place to live in while others brought up issues like the worsening traffic in the area.  

One irate resident felt that it was unfair that every time Kuala Lumpur got a new mayor, there was a tendency to create new policies. 

Dr Tan advised residents to tackle the situation rationally and not get personal or emotional. 

“Do not jump the gun. I know you are all upset, but this is an administrative matter and should be tackled administratively. The Datuk Bandar is only doing his job,” he said. 

“My advice to you is argue the case on a technical point,” Dr Tan said, adding that he would be writing a letter to the mayor regarding the issue.