Evolving from dump to bustling township

FROM scrumptious hawker fare to sumptuous fine dining. And ranging from Chinese, Malay and Indian to international cuisines offered at the many eateries in Bandar Baru Sri Petaling. 

It is no surprise that the township is known as a “food haven.” 

Some exclusive units in Bandar Baru Sri Petaling.

But more than 20 years, it was a “pest haven” as it had a dumpsite.  

Good feng shui is the force behind the stark change.  

The stinky site was picked as the venue for the 1998 Commonwealth Games.  

In order to entice the tens of thousands of tourists it better be good in all aspects.  

So, stadiums, LRT and highways were constructed here.  

In Chinese, the township referred to as “the big castle” as the then rubber estate land belonged to Castlefield Estate.  

Coincidentally the three major roads in the Klang Valley, namely Kesas Highway, Seremban Highway and disputed KL-Putrajaya Highway meet here, forming the Chinese character for “big” and pronounced as “da” in Mandarin. 

Touted as a food haven, hawkers like these are aplenty in Bandar Baru Sri Petaling.

And then, the big castle developed by Petaling Garden Bhd and Soon Teik Development Sdn Bhd since the mid 1970s, is on the highway to urbanisation.  

Bandar Baru Sri Petaling residents' association chairman Tan Tai Tong joked that what the residents enjoy today came after almost 20 years of struggle.  

“In the first 10 years, we lived next to the dumpsite. We ate dinner with stench up our nostrils and smelly breeze accompanied our evening strolls. The next 10 years, we had to put up with construction chaos as development was in full force for the games,” he said.  

“The plan had it that this side of Sri Petaling would be beautified, too, but it seemed that we are forgotten,” he added.  

According to him, Bandar Baru Sri Petaling covers Taman Sri Endah, Taman Sri Petaling and Bukit Jalil, which fall under the Seputeh and Bandar Tun Razak constituencies.  

However, Bukit Jalil is often regarded as to be on its own.  

The earliest development took place at Zone E, at Jalan Pasai where the morning market is until today. What started with single-storey low-cost terrace now comprises mixed development from affordable to exclusive dwellings.  

Despite the earlier setbacks, many stay on in Sri Petaling and even started a business here. Cafe Taste Walking owner Danny Loke, 52, is one of them.  

“My entire family is here, we have been staying here for 20 over years. I don't know why my mother and sister are so attracted to this place. It wasn't alluring at - all no thanks to the dumpsite. The stench was really bad and the flies were large. Still, we stayed on,” he said with a smile.  

Tranquil surroundings with lush greenery at the inner parts of Bandar Baru Sri Petaling.

Two years ago, the advertising veteran ventured into food business at the thriving Sri Petaling.  

His choice is proven right, as they are now robust enough to manage the kitchen of a swanky restaurant in the Golden Triangle.  

Besides eateries, the township also harbours a variety of business opportunities including beauty and slimming centres, and even hotel.  

Of course, Carrefour and The Store hypermarkets are constant crowd-pullers. 

Traffic problems come hand-in-hand with commercial growth. Congestion and haphazard parking are ubiquitous sights here.  

Unfortunately, the abundance of delicacies also resulted in hygiene issues.  

Leftover discarded by eateries is clogging up drains and the rat colony is growing. 

“We just have to brace ourselves for these problems, this is still the best place for lunch,” said Astro's sound engineer Kit Liew, 30, who were dining with two colleagues here one afternoon.  

By comparison, these are small matters as majority of the Sri Petaling community is more concerned about the issues of KL-Putrajaya Highway, oxidation plant and Chinese primary school.  

Endah Parade is a landmark and a crowdpuller in Bandar Baru Sri Petaling.

The KL-Putrajaya Highway cuts through the neighbourhood, leaving only a buffer zone of 2.3m from two rows of houses, 200 units in total.  

The residents' association voiced their concern since 10 years ago, before the highway was even built, but so far all efforts have been futile.  

Residents' heated objections have been brought to parliament, ministries and media. An action committee with its website were formed to continue the long struggle. 

With the elevated highway is near completion, residents hope the government will at least acquire the 200 units.  

Oxidation plant is for the adjacent housing estate that is under construction, but is situated on the highest point of Taman Sri Petaling.  

Residents fear wastewater will flow into their area when the plant is in full operation.  

Tan said the residents association has a long-time request for a Chinese primary school in the neighbourhood that comprised 95% Chinese.  

They are upset that the government is proposing only two Chinese primary schools for Federal Territory, one in Wangsa Maju with the other in Cheras or Sri Petaling. 

The impressively systematic residents' association also deserves credit. 

The association representing 10,000 houses and 40,000 residents is divided into different committees with each overseeing one of the 14 zones here. 

Despite rising crime, the requested police station has yet to be erected with the association also pushing for CCTV.  

They are have to first collect RM60,000 from the residents to set up three main access points.  

Then, they plan to have a CCTV at the entrance of each zone. In the last phase of the project, they will encourage individuals and companies here to also install CCTV.  

This initiative impressed Federal Territories Ministry parliamentary secretary Yew Teong Look who was invited to attend the recent neighbourhood Merdeka celebration.  

Tan has high hopes for Sri Petaling, and is optimistic that the township will keep growing in the next 10 years. 

“Two zones have not been developed yet, there are more exciting things coming in Sri Petaling!” he said with a smile.