FT minister seeks end to Taman Rimba Kiara longhouse problem

The 100 families living in longhouses in Bukit Kiara have waited 38 years to get a free apartment unit from the government.

KUALA LUMPUR: Federal Territories Minister Annuar Musa hopes there will be no more delay in constructing apartment units for longhouse residents in Taman Rimba Kiara after the courts deliver their decision over a challenge to the project.

He said that 100 families living in longhouses in Bukit Kiara had waited 38 years to get a free apartment unit from the government.

“We respect the due process in court and we will wait for the decision. The residents here have waited far too long to get their homes and some of them have passed away,” Annuar said during a visit to the longhouses.

The minister added that the government will “not touch a single tree” at the public park for the Taman Rimba Kiara’s development project.

FT Minister Annuar Musa.

“Let us make this very clear and do not create confusion that we are disturbing the public park. I’ve gone through the layout plans and heard a briefing from the relevant officers.

“I dare say that we will not allow even a single tree to be touched,” Annuar said.

The residents’ group of Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) is fighting the proposed development of the Taman Rimba Kiara project, consisting of a 29-storey apartment block with 350 units of affordable housing, as well as eight blocks of service apartments and eight storeys of parking facilities.

The project is being undertaken by property developer Malton Bhd, through its subsidiary Memang Perkasa Sdn Bhd, and Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan (YWP), a foundation chaired by the Federal Territories minister.

After Pakatan Harapan came to power, then Federal Territories minister Khalid Samad renegotiated the deal with the developer and came up with a scaled-down version of the project that saw the number of residential units being halved.

The residents filed a challenge against City Hall’s (DBKL) approval of the project. The hearing is set for mention on April 14 at the Court of Appeal.

Annuar also said that he had invited Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh to meet him on Monday (April 13) to discuss the issue.

“I have no problem sitting down and discussing this openly,” he added.

Yeoh had said she rejected the project’s “scaled down” version as it was not much different from the original project approved by Khalid’s predecessor, Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor. - FMT