Stakeholders set to oppose new development in Section 52

By TAN KARR WEI
http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2010/5/27/central/6321280&sec=central

THE PKNS headquarters at Section 52 Petaling Jaya, has already been earmarked for development.

Interestingly, a notice board has been erected to announce the proposed new development and get feedback from the people in the area.

The joint development between Puncak Wangi Sdn Bhd and PKNS consists of four-and-a-half levels of basement parking, six-storeys of business podium and a car park.

The rest are as follows;

— one block of 27-storey offices;

— three blocks of offices/institution between 27 and 37 storeys;

— two blocks of 22-storey hotels; and

— two blocks of 22-storey serviced apartments.

Bukit Gasing assemblyman Edward Lee said many residents who found out about the proposed development were not happy with the prospect of having such a massive project in the area.


Sneaky move: This signboard was put up to inform the public about the proposed development with a May 25 deadline for written objections.

“The developers and PKNS should have had prior discussions with the residents and stakeholders in the vicinity before planning such a project that will inflate the traffic flow which will result in congestion, possible new undesirable activities and overcrowding.

“The sentiments of PJ residents towards development and the restrictions on infrastructure are well known to the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) and they should have cautioned PKNS from planning such a massive project, knowing very well that there will be opposition and limitations,” said Lee.

He said MBPJ should be more transparent and should have announced these massive projects well in advance instead of springing surprises on the people at the eleventh hour.

“If I had not passed the corner of Jalan Yong Shook Lin last Sunday, seen the notice board and brought the project to the notice of the people, the project would have gone ahead without any consultation.

“The board was erected at a sharp corner and I doubt if anyone would have noticed it and raised objections as there was only one week left to the objection period.

“Work would have started and the public would be denied the opportunity to object as the project gets the go-ahead due to the developers having spent money already. Would it not be better if the developers of projects of this magnitude proudly announce their project to residents earlier if it was all good and appealing?

“Besides the road systems, the current infrastructure in the area like drainage, water, sewerage and electricity does not seem to be able to cope with such a big development,” he said.


Residents are worried that the roads in the area will not be able to cope with the traffic density.

All Petaling Jaya Residents Association (Apac) chairman Liew Wei Beng said that residents have been calling for the MBPJ to conduct a comprehensive traffic study but none has been done so far.

“We are very concerned about the alarming rate of development in Petaling Jaya.

“We’ve been protesting several other projects like the PJX and V Square but it was allowed to go ahead,” said Liew.

He said MBPJ should be aware of the traffic congestion in the Section 52 area which has a high concentration of office buildings.

“And there are many buildings there that are still under construction or have not been fully occupied yet so that would bring in additional traffic as well,” he said.

Liew was in agreement with Lee in calling for the MBPJ to put up a centralised list of proposed developments so that it was easier for the public to know about.

“Some of these signboards for proposed developments are put up in places that people can hardly see,” said Liew.

When contacted, a PKNS spokesman confirmed that the agency’s headquarters would move from its present site at Section 52, Petaling Jaya to a new building to be constructed at Shah Alam.

Councillor reveals misuse of allocation

By TAN KARR WEI
http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2010/5/20/central/6288709&sec=central

MORE than 500 Petaling Jaya council employees illegally own low-cost flat units, a city councillor was told.

MBPJ councillor Mak Khuin Weng said he received a tip-off last month on alleged misuse of low-cost flats allocation in Petaling Jaya and wants an investigation conducted as soon as possible.


"I have received no official word that Selcat would pursue the matter since my first statement was made" MAK KHUIN WENG

“I received an anonymous letter last month which stated that these officers were not eligible to purchase these houses as their household income was above RM2,500. I want the council to do an audit so we can find out if the allegations are true,” said Mak.

He said that the letter further alleged that the information on these employees could be traced using the following methods:

· A search through the assessment tax records for details of property owners available from the MBPJ valuation department.

· A search through the records of individual certificate of fitness issued to each low-cost flat unit purchaser by the MBPJ building department.

· A search through the records of a named bank that provided most of the loans for low-cost flat unit purchases.

“As proof, the anonymous writer provided a copy of a bank loan statement for a low-cost unit. The copy of the loan allegedly bore the names of persons who were related to a senior MBPJ officer,” he said.

As a result of the allegation, Mak has written a request to the MBPJ mayor Datuk Mohamad Roslan Sakiman on April 29 to conduct an investigation to ascertain the relationship of these persons to the senior officer.

“I have requested, in the same letter, that an audit of all low-cost housing ownership be done using the prescribed method in the letter to trace these staff members and that the results of the audit be forwarded to the Select Committee for Competency, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) for further investigation and action.

“The request was copied to all MBPJ local councillors, the MBPJ secretary Puasa Md Taib, Selangor Exco Ronnie Liu, Selcat chairperson Teng Chang Khim, Selcat deputy chairperson Haniza Mohamed Talha and Selcat committee member Edward Lee.

This was Mak’s second statement on the matter of improper ownership of low-cost flat units following his statement in February revealing two senior MBPJ officers owning low-cost apartment units despite drawing a salary of more than RM2,500 at the time of purchase.


Prime target: A number of units at this low-cost apartment block in Petaling Jaya are allegedly owned by senior MBPJ officers.

“I have received no official word that Selcat would pursue the matter since my first statement was made. The mayor had also given assurances to the media after the March full board meeting that the matter would be investigated by the MBPJ disciplinary committee but the matter has not been tabled to date either,” said Mak.

He added that he had in the past received complaints from former squatter village residents who were promised a chance to purchase a low-cost unit yet never received the offer once the construction of the low-cost flat was completed.

“These former squatter residents have shown me proof that they were interviewed and given alternative accommodation prior to waiting for the demolition of their village to make way for development and subsequent relocation to the completed flat in their former locale.

“The plight of these former squatter residents may be related to the purchase of low-cost flat units by MBPJ officers who may not be qualified to do so, thereby depriving these legitimate qualifiers from getting their rightful homes. That is why I am requesting for an audit and for thorough investigations to be done,” he said.

As of press time, the MBPJ has yet to issue a statement on the matter.

Both Selangor Housing and Property Board (LPHS) and the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) websites states that those who want to apply for low-cost housing must be Malaysians above 18 years old, do not own any houses, and do not have a combined household income above RM2,500.