The Taman Rimba Kiara redevelopment, a heated topic in past elections, is still keenly debated in GE15. — Photos: ONG SOON HIN/The Star
THE Segambut constituency is made up of a diverse population that encompasses those in the B40 group to high-income earners, making it a distinct community with varying needs.
Besides the usual bread-and-butter issues, these various groups want problems that impact them directly to be addressed and resolved.
While Segambut Dalam and Kampung Sungai Penchala villagers are concerned about the recent flooding that damaged their properties, residents of high-end condominiums such as the ones in Mont Kiara and Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) are worried about overdevelopment in their area.
Undeniably, there are more urban areas in Segambut now with high-rise development squeezing into available land, especially in the case of Kampung Sungai Penchala and Kampung Segambut Dalam.
Even vacant areas in Sri Hartamas and Mont’ Kiara as well as less-affluent neighbourhoods of Taman Sri Segambut, Taman Sri Sinar and Bandar Menjalara have been taken over for development, leaving less green spaces.
Residents are worried that overpopulation in Segambut will overwhelm the capacity of existing infrastructure and public facilities.
They also want more accountability from Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) when it comes to approving developments in Segambut.
Taman Tun Dr Ismail Residents Association (TTDIRA) chairman Hafiz Abu Bakar said residents were constantly living in fear of developments that were not in tandem with the Kuala Lumpur local plans.
Bukit Kiara longhouse residents are still waiting for resettlement as promised by a previous government 40 years ago.
“What we want is for the authorities to act in good faith and comply with established development plans as well as engage with the residents for any development proposals,” he said.
TTDI also houses several green lungs such as Taman Persekutuan Bukit Kiara, Taman Awam Bukit Kiara (previously known as Taman Rimba Kiara) and Taman Awam Berskala Besar Bukit Kiara.
The successful gazetting of Taman Persekutuan Bukit Kiara in 2020 as a green lung was good news for the residents, as it meant that this area would no longer be at risk of being developed.
Other issues raised in the area were insufficient and haphazard parking by the road, proliferation of roadside traders and poor road maintenance.
Hafiz said TTDI residents were happy with DBKL for improvements made to sidewalks, managing planting of greenery and for general services.
“However, traffic and parking problems seemed to have worsened and some stretches of roads need to be resurfaced,” he said.
Residents living in small urban villages like Segambut Dalam, Kampung Sungai Penchala and Kampung Kasipillay have one major improvement in mind – to address the flooding issue in the area.
Last year, those areas were flooded, leaving residents fearing a repeat during this year-end monsoon season.
Kampung Segambut Dalam resident Abdul Hamid Roslan said although sandbags were placed near a monsoon drain as a preventive measure, it was not a long-term solution to the flooding.
He said residents there were also badly affected financially during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“With the escalating cost of living, some folks are leaving the city for more affordable life elsewhere,” he said.
Another long-standing issue is the promised housing for Bukit Kiara longhouse residents, which has not been fulfilled for more than 40 years.
Sri Mahamariamman Bukit Kiara Temple chairman Arumugam Thangaveloo said the residents wanted nothing more than to resettle in a permanent home.
A proposal to relocate the residents to a high-rise condominium project in parts of Taman Rimba Kiara however, was objected to by TTDI residents who took the matter to court, where it is still pending.
Segambut has a more than 50% increase in voters this time around, with 119,652 voters compared with the 77,956 in the 2018 general election.
In GE15, Pakatan Harapan’s Hannah Yeoh (DAP) will defend the seat against Barisan Nasional’s Datuk Daniel Ling Sia Chin (MCA) and Perikatan Nasional candidate Prabagaran Vythilingam from Gerakan.
