Old-world charm in the city centre

Tiong Nam settlement sits comfortably in the middle of development.

KUALA LUMPUR mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Fuad Ismail said DBKL’s master plan department had been instructed to study the potential of the Chinese settlement Tiong Nam Ku for redevelopment.

“We would like to see the Tiong Nam settlement redeveloped on par with its surroundings. Our Master Plan department is studying ways to achieve this, but our biggest hurdle is getting the residents to agree as the land belongs to them,’’ Ahmad Fuad said, adding that convincing the residents would be his biggest hurdle.

“Maybe the residents would like to develop the land on their own or work with us on that, but it is our duty to inform them of the potential of rejuvenating the area,’’ Fuad said.

The 50-year-old Tiong Nam Ku (middle south area) sticks out like a sore thumb — a stark contrast to its modern neighbours.

Situated in a valley and surrounded by buildings like Sime Darby, The Mall, and Citrus Hotel, Tiong Nam Ku’s ramshackle existence comprising about 300 houses and shophouses spreading over 6.5ha is out of place in this budding township.

Citrus Hotel director of sales Shahrul Nordin said his guests were often curious about the area because of its old-world charm and not many people know about the early history behind the Chinese settlement.

The land where the settlement stands belonged to two Punjabi brothers Jagat Singh and Havela Singh Sachdev. They bought the land in an auction from the late businessman Thamboosamy Pillay in 1930.

It was years later that they sold the land to a Chinese merchant in 1948 who then built houses and sold to the public.

Havela’s son Ranjit Singh, 81, said it was a swampy land and prone to floods whenever the Gombak River overflowed.

Ranjit said his father and uncle won the bid for the land for RM28,000, which was big money back then.

They filled the land with earth and built 28 houses which they rented out for RM25 a month.

When the brothers finally sold the land in 1948, the new owner built single-storey houses which he sold at RM12,000 each.

The settlers who moved into their new homes, were however, plagued with flash floods.

Over the years, the flooding got worse and after the great floods of 1971, most of the pioneer inhabitants moved out.

A former resident, Wan Heng Kei, said only two original families of 1955 were still living there — his father and the next door neighbour, the Wong family.

Back in the early days, all the houses in Tiong Nam were single-storey buildings. But after the 1971 floods, the government allowed residents to upgrade their houses to two or more storeys.

When Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) released the Kuala Lumpur Draft Plan 2020 in 2008, beautification projects were planned for several rivers, including Sungai Gombak.

The plan outlines landscaping and trails of walking, jogging and cycling as well as identified activity zones along the length of the river.

The nature of each zone is determined by the activities nearby and the opportunities and constraints that it presents. Tiong Nam settlement falls within the specified zone and hence has been earmarked for redevelopment.

P.E Tan, who has been living in the area for 50 years, said he had heard of talks to redevelop Tiong Nam, but nothing ever came out of it.

“I have been hearing this news since four years ago and I don’t think it is going to be that easy to accomplish,’’ said the 53-year-old.

Ho Hiew Ling, 73, who has been renting a house there for the past 15 years, also heard about the redevelopment plans, but said it did not concern him.

“This place is strategic and I like it just the way it is,’’ Ho said.

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