KUALA LUMPUR: The Taman Tun Dr Ismail Residents Association (RA) denies any sort of engagements were held between them and the Federal Territories Ministry on July 20 and Aug 3 as claimed.
However, the RA’s chairman Abdul Hafiz Abu Bakar said Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor was present at the ministry’s Bicara Rakyat 2017 townhall meeting on Nov 3.
Hafiz said the minister was shown evidence that the condominium project would occupy almost half of Taman Rimba Kiara.
“Taman Rimba Kiara is a 25-acre plot of land clearly earmarked as a green open space in the gazetted Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan 2020 and the Kuala Lumpur Draft City Plan 2020.
“It was highlighted to him that there is ample evidence showing that the original footprint of Taman Rimba Kiara is 25-acres and not 13.3-acres.
“After being shown the evidence, the minister kindly offered to meet and discuss the matter at his office,” he said.
The meeting, he said, never happened.
He said claims that the association was influenced or guided by politicians or political parties were also untrue.
“We are only a neighbourhood-based non-governmental organisation with a clear conscience to act in the best interest of the community,” he said.
He said the actions taken by the RA, the Taman Rimba Kiara Working Group and the residents of TTDI were of public interest and aimed to save, protect and preserve the park from being irreversibly degraded.
“If the proposed project proceeds, the result of degradation will kill off its function as a green lung and a melting pot of diversity in an urban setting. The project will also have serious negative effects on the TTDI neighbourhood,” he said.
He said the RA has always been supportive of development of permanent housing for the long house residents.
He said they believe permanent housing can be delivered without having to build a mega condominium project including eight blocks of high-rise, high-end complexes.
“We would also like to appeal to the good conscience of the developer, Memang Perkasa Sdn Bhd, (a subsidiary of the Malton Group) to do the right thing, call off the development and help save and preserve Taman Rimba Kiara.
“We would also like to affirm that all our actions are purely made out of the concern to save, protect and preserve Taman Rimba Kiara and it is a public interest initiative with no gains, financially,” he said.
Hafiz said the group will not stop fighting against the project development despite the setbacks.