KUALA LUMPUR: The Federal Territories Ministry is awaiting Cabinet decision on the controversial Taman Rimba Kiara (TRK) development project.
Minister Khalid Samad said the ministry had submitted the papers on the solutions for the TRK issue and were waiting for comments from other ministries and the Attorney-General Chambers (AGC).
“The federal government might decide to either revoke the development order (DO) for the project and pay compensation of at least RM150 million, or agree to a scaled-down project.
“Should the federal government decide to cancel the project, it would have to look for a solution for the longhouse residents who have been residing there for 36 years. This will bring us back to square one.
“This is because the federal government has given the land for affordable housing, which is part of the project and now owned by City Hall. "However, the project was halted due to objections by residents staying in the vicinity. The longhouses are under the jurisdiction of federal government and not City Hall,” he told a Press conference today at the Federal Territories Foundation.
He said the project developers had previously agreed to cut down the project by half, which would see 1.6ha of open space taken up for development, compared with 3.2ha in the original plan.
“Out of the four acres (1.6ha) of the proposed development area, two acres (0.8ha) would be earmarked for the construction of a 29-storey block with 350 housing units for the longhouse residents and a temple.
“(After engaging the affected parties), we now have to wait for the Cabinet's decision on the matter. We hope to resolve the issue by end of this year,” he added.
Kuala Lumpur City Hall had in 2016 approved the housing development on 4.86ha land in TRK, which was designated as a public open space under the Kuala Lumpur City Plan 2020.
Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) residents had previously voiced their objection against the project, saying that it would diminish the green areas in the city.