Last Updated: 3:55pm, Jan 08, 2014

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 8): Lembah Pantai is on the verge of losing its one and only green lung - Bukit Gasing, as development works in the area has been in progress since 2012.

The hill, located at the border of Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur has long been an oasis to the densely populated urban area. However, only the portion belonging to the Pakatan led-Selangor state is officially gazetted as the city's green lung, a legal protection against development works.

The call to gazette the popular hiking spot had been raised by Friends of Bukit Gasing (FoBG) since 2000, unfortunately even after having six mayors, little to no progress had been made. There are altogether five peaks and three of them fall within the Petaling Jaya border.

PKR Lembah Pantai MP Nuruk Izzah Anwar pointed out that previously three former KL mayors as well as the current mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Phesal had pledged to gazette 52.6 hectares of public land as preserved forest, including Bukit Gasing. The three former mayors include Datuk Mohmad Shaid Taufek, Datuk Hakim Borhan and Tan Sri Ahmad Faud Ismail.

"Mayor after mayor, they promise to gazette this place as a green lung, but now Kuala Lumpur City Council (DBKL) is involved in a joint venture to develop Bukit Gasing," she told reporters at the construction site.

The area which has been renamed Bukit Kerinchi by DBKL belongs to IJM Corporation Berhad and is now under joint venture with Amona Metro Development Sdn Bhd to build a new township called "Pantai Sentral Park".

Nurul pointed out that residents who have been affected by the development took DBKL to court but lost the case because they were not within the 20m radius of construction, rendering them ineligible to object the project.

"Nobody lives within a 20m radius of the hill, so their complains cannot be heard," she said.

The lush green hills are now left bare and covered with mud. Water pipe leakages have filled potholes, leaving drains congested. An Islamic religious school, Madrasha Al-Falah located smack in the middle of the construction is given 3 months to relocate as it will be demolished.

"Regardless if the place of worship is old or new, you cannot ignore the sentimental value, this is where the community prays, studies and hold activities. I think it is very insensitive to demolish it," said Nurul.

Besides urging DBKL and the mayor to honor his words to gazette Bukit Gasing as green lung, Nurul had also questioned why the development plan was approved in the first place and who had given the green light.

"During a meeting with Tan Sri Ahmad Faud, it was revealed that former prime minister Tun Abdullah Badawi together with the Economic Planing Unit (EPU) had approved the development plan at the slope of Bukit Gasing, which I believe will reduce the size of its buffer zone."

She said the buffer zone is where the project Saville @ The Park Bangsar is located. Though the city council promises that it will keep a close eye on the construction, she slammed DBKL for covering up for the former prime minister by allowing him to approve controversial projects.

"My question now is, has the former prime minister broken any law for sacrificing the buffer zone for development?"

She also noted that if DBKL is jointly developing Bukit Gasing, it cannot be trusted upon to observe the construction as there is a conflict of interest.

"The developer had promised to keep the project low density. But they are constructing a 27 story building, how is that justified?"

"I demand the mayor to explain why he approved the project despite strong objection during the public hearing of the KL Draft Plan and supply me the meeting minutes. I also want to know how can such a small committee have this much power to handle such discussions when it should be heard by a body of higher authority."

Nurul has given DBKL one week from Jan 7 to revert and demand for a stop work order to halt construction.

DAP Bukit Gasing state assemblyman Rajiv Rishyakaran noted that part of the hill that falls under Petaling Jaya has been made government land and there are no intentions of selling it for development.

"Bukit Gasing is a good location for property development, temptation to sell it or go into joint venture swith private developers has always been there, but I'm glad that there's absolutely no give away of this land to any developer in Selangor's side and KL needs to emulate this."

He said that when the hill on KL side is being developed, residents living in Petaling Jaya would be affected by mudslides if heavy rain falls towards their direction.

"If the mud and soil washes into their house, they cannot get compensation, nor does MBPJ have the authority to act against what's happening in KL."

Rajiv also pointed out that KL folks now only enjoy 8 sq metres of open space, while people in Australia enjoy about 20 sq metres.

"The 8 sq metres is inclusive of building's top floors. If we don't protect our green lung, our enjoyment of open space will shrink further."

"The mayor now has the opportunity to do the right thing. So I hope he gazettes Bukit Gasing as a reserved forest and puts it as such in the KL draft plan. These are the two best safeguards for our green lung."

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