KUALA LUMPUR: A federal lawmaker and a consumer association leader has filed a judicial review to quash the Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s (DBKL) recent decision to raise parking charges.
Seputeh MP Teresa Kok and Mohd Yusof Abdul Rahman of the Selangor and Federal Territory (FT) of Kuala Lumpur Consumers Association said the public was not consulted before the hike.
Both want the court to quash the hike as it was illegal and irregular.
The applicants also want the court to revoke the appointment of Vista Summerose and Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan, to collect the new parking fees.
They named Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, Mayor Mohd Amin Nordin Abdul Aziz, and DBKL as respondents.
Both are also seeking damages and other orders deemed fit by the court.
The court papers were filed by legal firm S N Nair & Partners at the Kuala Lumpur High Court registry.
Lawyer S N Nair said the papers would be delivered to the parties including the Attorney-General’s Chambers, once the sealed copies were obtained.
” The applicants need to first obtain leave from the court before the merit of their case could be heard,” he said.
Also present were Wangsa Maju MP Tan Kee Kwong, Lim Lip Eng ( MP for Segambut) and Fong Kui Lun (MP for Bukit Bintang).
Kok in her affidavit in support of the application, said the raise was between 100 and 275 per cent and the current fee was between 80 sen and RM3 per hour.
She said the respondents’ act of appointing Vista Summerose and Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan was made unilaterally and arbitrarily and such an act was also against the rule of natural justice and violated the principle of good governance.
Kok said the respondents had also gone against government procurement procedures in awarding the right to Vista Summerose and Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan to collect the parking fees.
Effective July 18, what used to cost motorists 80 sen for the first hour of parking, is now priced at RM2, while the second and subsequent hours will cost RM3.
The areas involved are Bukit Bintang, Bukit Damansara, Sri Hartamas, Desa Hartamas, Solaris Mont Kiara, Taman Tun Dr Ismail and Bangsar.
Rates at DBKL-owned parking lots at business centres outside the city centre, including in Brickfields, Taman Maluri, Cheras, Wangsa Maju and Setapak are also up as well.
Mayor Amin had said the move was not aimed at generating profit but was the “only way” to reduce congestion in the city and encourage carpooling.
He pointed out that about 50,000 new cars were registered in KL every month and expressed hope that the parking rate increase would lead to at least one million single-occupant vehicle (SOV) drivers, switching to public transport or carpooling to work instead.