Batu Caves condo row MIC's Buah Pala II

YOURSAY 'MIC said there should be no development near Batu Caves temple; why then was the planning permit granted in 2007?'

Kohilan blames Pakatan for Batu Caves condo

Full Of Crap: The whole bunch of former Selayang municipal councillors, including then councillor A Kohilan Pillay, must be investigated for corruption.

Why was this project approved by them after BN's defeat on March 8, 2008, despite the fact Pakatan Rakyat had taken over the state and the new councillors had not been sworn in yet?

Why were they in such a hurry to push through the project? Without a doubt, the then councillors and the developer knew the new state government would have rejected the project.

Now Kohilan has the audacity to blame it on Pakatan.

Otak_Otak: As an engineer and architect for many projects such as this, I know the procedure and suggest Kohilan study the ‘laporan cadangan pembangunan', or LCP. The LCP, which accompanies the KM application, gives full details of the project.

Either he is ignorant or lying about the case. On the other hand, the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) can stop the project if no building approval has been issued.

If a building approval is given under the Pakatan government, then revoking it will result in MPS facing a civil suit and massive compensation. If the MPS revokes it now, they will prolong the development and this may frustrate the developer into giving up on the project.

Anonymous #03913649: This is another blunder by BN, led by MIC. MIC said there should be no development near Batu Caves temple, why then was the planning permit granted in 2007?

Jimmy: The land was allowed to be converted to commercial use before 2000. The whole layout plan for the site - the shops and the condominium - was approved during BN's time. The ‘kebenaran merancang' (development order) was given during BN's time.

The shops have been completed now. Why make noise only now? To cancel means you have to pay the developer for the loss, using taxpayers' money.

It is a choice of allowing it to continue or compensate the developer for the mistake of allowing the land to be converted from quarry use to commercial use, and subsequently issuing the ‘kebenaran merancang'.

Anon: Kohilan, how can you said the development order (DO) was issued without stating the height of the building in the building plan? The building plan is a mandatory requirement in order to secure the DO.
Anticommunalist: How is it that Pakatan being the state government had failed to highlight this issue earlier? If BN approved the plan and Pakatan kept quiet about it, then both are to be blamed.

Anonymous_40f4: This is another case of Kampung Buah Pala in Penang. BN approved the Batu Caves project in 2007 four years ago with their representatives sitting in the council.

Now when the state is under Pakatan, they object just to play politics hoping to get a few Indian votes. MIC-BN was silent for four years and now they pretend to demand the state to cancel the project.

But they know the state cannot cancel a project that has already been approved.

Anonymous #19098644: Whether they are from Gerakan like Kohilan or MCA or Umno, these BN politicians have no integrity. The timelines are very clear: the planning permit was approved in 2007.

MOS approval was in May 2008, and Pakatan councillors were appointed in July 2008. In the meantime, existing councillors were still running the show.

This is the same as in Penang, where the BN has falsely accused the Pakatan government of approving dubious hillslope projects. Finally when the truth was uncovered, all 36 hill projects had been approved during the BN tenure.

So they agitate now after four years and only 300 people turned up, including former MIC president S Samy Vellu.

As for Kampung Buah Pala, it was sold to the developer by BN at a giveaway price of RM10 per sq ft, and the condo project was approved by BN during their tenure.

The MIC then instigated the people to protest the Pakatan government and five of them ended with no houses with the remaining 23 residents now living in their double-story terrace houses as compensation. So do you believe these BN leaders or Pakatan?

Ramachandran Muniandy: There are so many development landslides in Cameron Highland, which is in Pahang, which BN has ruled for 56 years - why don't they blame Pakatan?

In Penang, all the government land were sold by Umno or Gerakan, and now BN is blaming DAP and PKR.

What was MIC, Kohilan and Umno doing when the project was approved by BN-appointed councillors? Now MIC president G Palanivel is calling the Indians to protest, but against whom? And why should we protest?

We know what mess MIC had done in Kampung Buah Pala. Who were the losers? Just a few Indians who listened to you and Umno.

Mushiro: Kohilan Pillay admitted that the planning permit was approved during his time - is he saying that after this approval, he would not have approved further developments and construction had they remained in power?

This is hypocrisy and getting the temple committee involved shows that the temple committee is willing to be used.

Abasir: When temple-going Indians allow their places of worship to be 'patronised' by self-serving politicians like Samy Vellu and Kohilan, to treat them like demigods whenever they enter the premises, and appoint Umno henchmen like R Nadarajah to 'manage' the funds and operations, this is what will happen.

Almost all Hindu temples, in one way or other, come under the 'protection' racket organised by MIC. The more popular a temple, the more senior the MIC protector. The only problem is that these protectors are also answerable to Umno and will ultimately do what is required.

If temples are cleansed of the political lowlifes who have been allowed to breed inside, sanctity will return. The Batu Caves temple is for all purposes, an MIC branch operation, used for political and financial gain.

Narrish: When there were Indians problems to solve, the Batu Caves temple committee closed its door to Hindraf protesters. Now they want to protest.

GGXY: The question now is not who approved or authorised the construction of the project. The issue now is whether the project can be stopped. If it can be stopped, just do it.

If it cannot be stopped, what then is the compensation that needs to be paid to relocate the project elsewhere.

Everybody, particularly the Indian community, has to work towards this end instead of blaming one another. Pakatan can come out of this mess by scrapping the project - at all cost.

Anonymous #18452573: It's good to see the old opportunist, Samy Vellu, showing up like he always does.

It has been a long while since we have seen this raced-based politician come out of the woodwork to defend the very Indians he had exploited and enriched himself and his cronies with. - Malaysiakini