Workers started cutting trees in Taman Rimba? Here’s how TTDI folk reacted

Just after lunchtime yesterday (14 Mar), TTDI residents got alerts on Facebook and WhatsApp that alarmed them. After seeing photos and videos of an excavator uprooting and transplanting trees in Taman Rimba Kiara, the residents went to the site to verify if it was really happening… and it has! Work has indeed started to clear the area for development.

“We can see that we have lost some trees. It looks like the destruction has begun. We spoke to the onsite supervisor. They uprooted trees in the upper section, behind the guardhouse, and transplanted them to the lower section. But, not all the trees were relocated. Some are gone.” – Leon Koay, Save Taman Rimba Kiara working group coordinator, quoted from The Malaysian Insight

If you recall, TTDI residents have been fighting DBKL in court to stop them from encroaching into Taman Rimba Kiara because it’s a public park. It is designated as a public open space under the Kuala Lumpur City Plan 2020 (unfortunately, this Plan has not been gazetted).

The developer is building two things: one block of 30-storey affordable housing apartments (350 units) that was promised to longhouse residents and eight blocks of 42- and 52-storey high-end serviced apartments (1,766 units). It’s the luxury apartments that the residents are opposed to.

*Read our article here for better context.

 

The developer cleared the trees anyway even though the court case hasn’t been decided

So, the case will be heard in court this coming 18 April, which is quite some time away. However, in December last year, the High Court dismissed their stay order (which is an application to get a court order to halt the work on the high-end apartments). Not only that, the court asked the residents to pay RM40,000 for costs after losing the application. Which means the developers are legally allowed to proceed with their work.

Nevertheless, residents are shocked and upset that the developer, Memang Perkasa Sdn. Bhd. started clearing the trees in Taman Rimba, despite the court hearing that is still pending. They texted Cilisos saying that Memang Perkasa and DBKL shows bad faith by acting without any regard for the outcome of the legal process.

Memang Perkasa is owned 51% by Malton Bhd. and 49% by Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan, of which FT Minister Tengku Adnan, his deputy Loga Bala, and KL Mayor Amin Nordin are allegedly Directors, which presents a conflict of interest.

“The TTDI community is disappointed and outraged that Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan and the developer Malton Group, appear intent to push on with works at Taman Rimba Kiara even though the court case pertaining the proposed development is still ongoing and not completed.

The TTDI community has clearly expressed its objections continuously & vehemently to the proposed development, but today’s actions indicate Yayasan WP and the developer are deaf to the views of the TTDI community and TTDI residents.” – statement from TTDI Resident Association & Save TRK Group, shared on WhatsApp with Cilisos

Here’s a video of the workers clearing away some trees:

 

They also put up a ‘confusing’ signboard…

The residents also saw a new development signboard put up at TRK which states that the project is for one block of 30-storey low cost apartments, which is the one for the longhouse residents. There is no mention of the eight block high-end apartments.

BUT WAITTTTTT……….. What’s this?! Look all the way to the bottom

and you will see this:

There is a part way at the bottom of the signboard which refers to “Development Order 13 July 2017”. This Development Order was granted by DBKL to Memang Perkasa to build all nine blocks of apartments. So what’s going on here? Strange.

Aside from that, Memang Perkasa temporarily closed the usual entrance into Taman Rimba at the Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad-Haij Openg junction and opened an alternative route at the far end of the Bukit Kiara longhouses to access the park. They also installed a signboard to show people where.

That’s all for updates of the development so far. We are eager to see the outcome of the court case on 18 April. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned about TTDI residents, they’re not going to go down without a fight, protecting their beloved park.

“All of us in KL are not always fortunate enough to have houses with large compounds and gardens. So a park is very precious to us. We have a place here where we can do our brisk walks, our kids can play football. People have come together and started to get to know each other. We want it to be as livable as possible.” – Hafiz Abu Bakar, Chairman of the TTDI RA

The saga continues…