Tired of waiting, Bukit Kiara longhouse residents want their affordable units now

PERTUBUHAN Penduduk Perumahan Awam Bukit Kiara has submitted a second memorandum to the Prime Minister's Department in an effort to speed up the fulfillment of the master resettlement agreement signed in 2015.

The agreement was between the longhouse residents and Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan (YWP), promising each of the 98 families one unit of housing for free and another at 50% discount.

Its chairman Sunderam Vadiveloo, 68, said the High Court's decision on Nov 28 last year to deny the bid by Taman Tun Dr Ismail residents to overturn the conditional planning permisison and development order by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) for the controversial project in Taman Rimba Kiara was in their favour.

As such, there should be no problem in kicking off the project, he added.

“A third party had objected to the project brought it to court, but the court has decided in our favour.

“So the project has a right to take off, so why is there still a delay?

“I urge the Federal Territories Minister Khalid Samad to speed up the process.

"He will be tabling it in the Cabinet. If the Cabinet decides that it is good to go, then the project can start.

“We have already waited for 37 years.  We were promised the affordable units by the previous government within three years.

“I don't know what is the problem with this government that is causing the delay. Whatever the problem may be, we do not want to know.

"We just want the promised affordable units.

“We are also in support of the project that has been scaled down,” he said when met outside the Prime Minister's Department with some 40 resident who came to show support.

Sunderam submitted two memorandums.

“I submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister. It was received by his political secretary.

"And another to the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Senator P. Waytha Moorthy. It was received by his political secretary Mathavan Velayutham,” he said.

The affordable houses were part of a mega-project, which involved the construction of eight blocks of between 42- and 54-storey high-end serviced apartments, with 2,277 units.

The affordable housing comprised a 29-storey block with 350 affordable housing units, with 200 reserved for the relocation of Bukit Kiara longhouse families.

It has now been scaled down.

The revised plan includes a 17-storey block of 204 affordable housing units for the Bukit Kiara longhouse folk, and four blocks of 41- to 45-storey condominiums, comprising 1,082 units in total.

Taman Tun Dr Ismail residents and park-goers are still against the construction of the luxury apartments.

Citing encroachment into Taman Rimba Kara and fearing the negative impact it would have on the environment and traffic flow, they are trying to stop the project.

It was also reported that there is another group among the longhouse residents, the Bukit Kiara Rumah Panjang Residents’ Association comprising mostly of the younger generation, that also oppose the mega-project and support alternative housing options.