KL folk want 840-unit high-rise project stopped, fearing congestion

It has been two years since residents of Taman P Ramlee in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur, voiced their concerns about potential congestion due to a nearby development project and this time they are calling for Putrajaya’s intervention.

When contacted, Taman P Ramlee Residents’ Association committee member Tan Guat Ming said the development project of two 48-storey blocks with 840 units must be stopped as it could lead to various issues including heavier traffic.

“We have written letters to the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) since 2022, and they were left unanswered. However, they did engage with us last December,” she told Malaysiakini.

She said the proposed site for the project is along Jalan Genting Klang where there are already 29 condominiums and low-cost apartments.

Tan added that the last letter sent to DBKL was on March 19 and the group urged the city hall to play its role as a local authority to ensure sustainable development in the area.

In the letter, the association questioned DBKL’s rationale for expanding the gazetted plot ratio from 4:1 as per the Kuala Lumpur City Plan to 6.5:1.

The larger ratio was said to be for rejuvenating the area. However, the association rejected the reason, saying the area was already thriving and not underdeveloped.

However, despite getting over 200 signatures on a petition to halt the project, five letters sent to DBKL, an open letter to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and the meeting in late 2023, the association was shocked that the city hall had issued a Development Order (DO) to the company that is allegedly constructing the project.

Being ‘pro-developer’

In a separate press statement, the group questioned if there was an invisible hand behind the project’s approval as the DO was quickly approved without consultation with the residents.

While questioning the rush in approving the DO, the group also questioned if the traffic impact assessment (TIA) and social impact assessment (SIA) for the project were carried out.

“We engaged with DBKL in December 2023, and we were happy as it was our first official engagement.

“DBKL agreed to more engagements including the sharing of the TIA. Little did we know, it was going to be our last meeting with DBKL. A meeting that was merely a procedural process for them to tick ‘we have engaged residents’,” it said.

The group also urged DBKL to stop being “pro-developer” and adopt a two-way approach.

With more circumstances seemingly going against them, Tan said the association is not giving up and is exploring ways to stop the construction including taking legal action.

“We hope it will get enough attention from Anwar to halt these greedy exploitations in the name of development,” she added. - Mkini