Batu Caves project: No more 'sound' from Kohilan

KUALA LUMPUR- The central figure in the controversial Dolomite Park Avenue project next to the Batu Caves temple has decided to maintain stoic silence until he gets his hands on all the documents.

Former Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) councillor A. Kohilan Pillay said he will obtain and go through all the relevant documents and meeting minutes before making further comments.

Several newspapers and news portals had quoted Kohilan, now a senator and deputy foreign minister, condemning the current Pakatan Rakyat state administration for allowing the project to go on.

However, documents obtained by theSun showed that he had been present at the full board meeting where the project was endorsed.

The project hit the headlines late last month following a protest against the development of a 29-storey condominium at the project site.

The protest, spearheaded by the Barisan Nasional's (BN) MIC with the participation of non-governmental organisations, took the Selangor state administration to task for allowing the project, which is a stone's throw away from the heritage site, to go on.

Subsequently, documents and minutes of meetings produced showed the project had been approved during BN's administration of the state in 2007.

When met yesterday, Kohilan maintained he had no knowledge of the project during his time as a councillor.

He declined further comment until he has gone through the minutes and relevant documents.

"It has been four years and I need to go through all the documents again to check on the details before I make further statements," he said.

theSun reported last week that the MPS OSC had discussed and given the project a conditional approval on Sept 27, 2007.

Subsequently, the full board meeting on Nov 29, 2007, where three MIC councillors (Rajakupal Sinnathamby, Jayakumaran Govindasamy and Rajandran Muniandy) and Kohilan, together with 15 other councillors, endorsed this.

The development order for the project was issued the very next day (Nov 30, 2007).

-thesundaily