A COALITION set up to protect the Kampung Bohol flood retention pond in Seputeh, Kuala Lumpur, from development is questioning the legitimacy of the government's decision to sell land earmarked for infrastructure and public amenities to a housing developer.
Preserve Kampung Bohol Flood Retention Pond Coalition coordinator Datuk Ng See Eng claimed that the move was conducted without proper legal procedures and public consultation, prompting concerns about transparency and accountability in urban development planning in the city.
“Under Kuala Lumpur Local Plan (KLLP) 2020, the land involved is Lot 102996.
“When the Kesas Highway was built from 1994 to 1996, this lot was classified as a ‘Right of Way’ for the highway in its land acquisition plan. It was then converted into a recreational park gazetted under KLLP 2020.
“Currently, KLLP 2040 is in the process of public objection and hearing. The government cannot change the use of the land from recreational parks to housing land.
“The government’s move to sell this lot to the developer without consulting the Malaysian Highway Authority, the Kesas Highway concessionaire, and the people is wrong,” he said in a statement Friday (May 17).
On April 29, StarMetro reported that the Federal Territories Land and Mines Office (PTGWP) had called for bids to design and upgrade the 63.45ha Bohol flood retention pond in Seputeh for alienation under Section 76 of the National Land Code (Act 828) through a tender notice at the beginning of the year.
PTGWP published the tender notice on its website, inviting companies to submit bids for the project to facilitate the construction of a massive housing project.
Six plots of land totalling 10.85ha are being alienated on Lot 102996 for a development project consisting of Federal Territories Affordable Housing Project (Rumawip), residential condominium and Madani housing.
The Attorney General’s Chambers also published a notice in the Federal Government Gazette on May 8, announcing the proposed revocation of the land reservation for public purposes under Section 64 (2) of the National Land Code (Act 828) for Lot 35309 measuring 24.79ha.
In a media briefing in Kuala Lumpur on May 16, Mohd Firdaus Ibaruslan, the deputy director of the land registration section of PTGWP, stressed that the arrangement is not a land swap deal.
“Besides forking out RM40mil to upgrade the pond, the developer still needs to pay RM41.7mil as the premium for the 10.5ha of land it will be developing.
“The developer is finalising details for the pond upgrade, expected to be completed in a month.
“The upgrade constriction will take five months," he added during a media briefing in Kuala Lumpur on May 16.
He further added that the upgrading works would be slow if a developer is not engaged.
Ng questioned the motive behind the sale of the land to the developer.
“Why does the government have to sell the recreational land to the developer to build a flood retention pond while allowing them to carry out a massive development project next to it?” he asked.
Preserve Kampung Bohol Flood Retention Pond Coalition comprises 36 residential associations, non-governmental organisations, and neighbourhood committees.
