KL lands sold cheaper by the billions, says DAP

Bukit Bintang MP says the average selling price was RM200 per square foot when it could have fetched RM1,000.

KUALA LUMPUR: DAP has accused Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) of selling lands “cheap” through direct negotiations, for billions of ringgit lower than what they could fetch if the deals had gone through open tenders.

Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun said that between 2011 and 2015, DBKL sold 113 acres of empty land for RM956 million.

Between 2016 and January 2018, it sold 321 acres of land for RM3.3 billion to 41 companies, said Fong.

“These are the facts I got in the Dewan Rakyat. If you look at how much land DBKL sold and how much they got, it works out to less than RM200 per square foot,” he said

“All of these land deals were done through direct negotiations. If they were sold through open tenders, I’m confident the parcels of land could fetch at the minimum RM1,000 per square foot.”

Previously, DAP’s Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai also hit out at DBKL for selling land below market price.

Fong said Pakatan Harapan (PH) would ensure that DBKL could only sell land through open tender.

“First, we would gazette the Kuala Lumpur draft City Plan 2020, then we will ensure that all land owned by DBKL is sold only through open tenders.”

Almost RM30 million was spent to produce the draft City Plan 2020, which was launched in May 2008.

The plan was initially scheduled to be gazetted in 2012 but was delayed to February 2013 as a result of objections and land usage issues. Putrajaya has yet to announce its plans on the draft. -FMT