KUALA LUMPUR, July 30 ― No construction work is allowed at Taman Rimba Kiara here pending the court disposal of a dispute over the building of nine apartment blocks on the land, Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa said today after public unease over recent activity there.
He said the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has been told to draw boundary lines to denote the legal ownership of land there and must not restrict residents from using the park, at least for now.
“They have to stick to my instructions, not to start [work] until the court makes a decision,” he told reporters during a site visit to the park this afternoon.
“I think we should engage positively. There is no point quarreling with each other without really knowing what the situation is about,” he added and urged for calm.
He said Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan (YWP) as the registered proprietor of the land earmarked for development in the public park has explained that it is not moving ahead with construction but is only drawing up the boundaries.
Annuar said that while the park size will be reduced and cut into areas set aside for public recreation like the football field, he gave an assurance that the lake will be kept.
He also said he has also given instructions to YWP not to touch the trees planted in the park by the Forest Research Institute Malaysia.
“If you develop, don't cut down the trees because they take 30 to 40 years to grow,” he told YWP chief executive officer Zaizalnizam Zainun who was also present during the site visit.
City residents living nearby the park expressed unease after spotting workers putting up six-foot high poles across Taman Rimba Kiara, said to be one of the last green lungs in the national capital.
Some wondered if the poles meant the developer was getting a headstart on the mixed development project when their lawsuit is still pending at the Court of Appeal.
The Taman Rimba Kiara case, now in its fifth year, is awaiting the court's decision on the validity of the project's development order.
It is feared that the project will end up destroying up to 10 hectares of green space and the houses built for former estate workers over 30 years ago.
