I welcome the cabinet’s directive to DBKL to freeze approvals for four types of developments following a study by Bank Negara effective November 1 this year. However, the freeze of development on the luxury condominiums and shopping complex doesn’t address the grave concern and unhappiness of the KL city folks on the way DBKL and Ministry of Federal Territory running the city now.
Many resident associations and MPs in KL have criticised and protested the way DBKL approved high-density Rumwip and non-luxurious apartments by not following the land use and building density stated in the KL City Plan 2020 in the past few years.
On top of that, many of these non-luxury apartments and affordable homes were built in the area zoned for football fields and children’s playground, and even TNB high tension pylon area.
This issue has been highlighted many times by the FT MPs in parliament, and various protests have been carried out by the residents and NGOs in the past years. However, all our objections and pleas fell on deaf ears, and this compelled some residents in TTDI to file judicial review against the proposed massive development in TTDI.
The government has spent millions of Ringgit to hire town planners and consultants to carry out study and produce the Draft KL City Plan 2020 ten years ago, the irony is the Ministry of Federal Territory and DBKL are abusing their powers to go against the city plan and further mess up the capital city of Malaysia.
The objective of the proposed KL City Plan 2020 is to make Kuala Lumpur the world-class city by the year 2020. However, from the way the Ministry of FT helmed by Tengku Adnan administer the city, we can foresee that Kuala Lumpur is going to be a world-class mess in years to come.
In view of the cabinet’s directive DBKL to freeze the approvals for shopping complexes and luxury condos, I would like to appeal to the Cabinet to look into the plea of the residents of Kuala Lumpur and to direct DBKL to freeze all approvals of Rumawip and apartments which does not follow the land use and guidelines of the Draft KL City Plan 2020, to save Kuala Lumpur from becoming a world class mess.
Teresa Kok