Yeoh to raise issue of renaming Taman Rimba Kiara in Parliament

Taman Kiara Rimba.

KUALA LUMPUR: Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh will be raising the issue of renaming Taman Rimba Kiara to Taman Awam Bukit Kiara in Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI), Kuala Lumpur in Parliament next week.

She described the move as unnecessary and wanted an explanation from the Federal Territories Ministry and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).

"Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa is going to answer my previous enquiries about the presence of land surveyor at the park.

"During that time, I will raise the questions on the renaming of the park, as the said park involved an ongoing court appeal.

"I urge the government to have a bit of respect on the court process," she said during a press conference held at the park.

DBKL in a statement Wednesday (July 29) said the change was made to avoid confusion over another park in TTDI with a similar name.

“Taman Awam Bukit Kiara is under DBKL’s management, while Taman Persekutuan Bukit Kiara is wholly managed and maintained by the National Landscape Department (JLN), ” it said in a statement.

TTDI Residents Association is contesting the legality of a development order issued by DBKL approving the development of a 3.24ha site in Taman Rimba Kiara for a high-rise project, and is awaiting a decision by the Court of Appeal.

Yeoh also condemned the installing of several metal poles at the park's football field.

"We received videos taken by TTDI residents showing that several poles were erected at the park.

"We asked the contractor the reason for erecting the poles, and they said the poles are for park boundaries.

"Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan had said that they will not touch the park but now, this happens.

"Why mislead the public like this?" she said.

The disputed development project was first cast into the spotlight in April 2017, when DBKL issued a development order for a project on a 4.9ha plot within the 10.1ha Taman Rimba Kiara.

The project initially involved building 350 units of affordable housing for 100 longhouse residents in Bukit Kiara and eight blocks of luxury condominiums.

A proposed revised plan included a 17-storey block with 204 units of affordable housing for the longhouse folk, and four blocks of 41 to 45-storey condominiums consisting of 1,082 units in total.