TEST OF SINCERITY: Najib has power to scrap Batu Caves condo immediately

KUALA LUMPUR - The federal government does not have to wait for the Selangor state government to scrap the controversial condominium project in Batu Caves as it has sufficient powers to do so on its own.

State exco for local government Ronnie Liu said the federal government has the option to cancel the sales and advertising permit, and development licence for Dolomite Park Avenue project immediately.

"They don't have to take over Selangor to do this," he said in response to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak's promise to scrap the project if the Barisan Nasional wins the state back from Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in the next general election.

"If the Prime Minister is truly sincere, he can do this with the existing power (of the federal government) and does not need to take over Selangor to do it," he added.

Liu said there are two ways to scrap the Dolomite Park Avenue project – one is by cancelling the sales and advertising permit, as the 29-storey condominium is a service apartment; and under the law, service apartments need that permit before advertising the units for sale.

Alternatively, the Housing and Local Government Ministry can cancel the developer's licence for the project.

Liu also hit out at Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung, who despite admitting that the Development Order (DO) for the Dolomite Park Avenue was approved in 2007, blamed the Pakatan Rakyat state government for approving the building plan.

"The answer is very simple; the DO is the most important approval that is needed for a project, because the infrastructure and building plans are all consequential.

"The main approval is the DO, and once approved the rest is secondary," he said.

Meanwhile, the state government's task force to study the project has already begun secretarial works while it hunts for a chairman as former MIDA director-general Datuk N Sadasivan had declined the appointment.

-thesundaily