Residents of Contessa Condominiums stormed DBKL headquarters to raise their concern over a proposed hillside project next to their homes at Jalan Kapas, Bangsar.
They were allowed to meet with DBKL’s Urban Planning director Mahadi Che Ngah at around 3pm on Monday to protest against the proposed project on an alleged eroding hillside slope.
The developer, who put up a signboard notifying the project in early May, aims to build a 10-storey building with 4-storey basement car park on the site.
However, with the due date only set on May 28, the developer has already started doing groundwork at the site.
The residents became more cautious after a landslide struck an orphanage in Hulu Langat which claimed 16 lives last Saturday.
“We are worried that the safety of our condominium will be compromised,” said Christopher KL Shun, the residents association (RA) chairman at the end of the meeting.
He said a landslide happened at the proposed site last year and the residents have vivid memories of water gushing out through mud and dirt.
“We want DBKL to pressure the developer for a slope design plan and other safety measures,” he (below,left) said.
He added the slope is too steep to accommodate a high-rise building and the area’s development has reached saturation.
“Currently there is only one entrance at the one-way street of Jalan Kapas. The ingress and egress of traffic are both using this single road,”
“How are they going to widen the road at the same time accommodate infrastructures such as drainage and sewerages?” he said, adding that local plot ratio will increase by 164 percent if the project is approved.
RA’s treasurer Susan Willie recounted how lucky she was as she moved out from Bukit Antarabangsa two months before a massive landslide in 2008.
“I don’t want the same thing to happen in my condominium (here) already,” she said.
The residents managed to collect 46 signatures out of 54 units from the area. They are now rushing with time to file more petitions ahead of the May 28.
It is told that Mahadi eventually promised the residents in the meeting that a stern warning will be issued to the developer if the latter was found guilty of constructing without an approval.
He also assured that DBKL has yet to grant an approval on such project.
Lembah Pantai member of parliament, Nurual Izzah, who accompanied the residents to the protest, urged DBKL to review its guideline on hillside development.
“There have been too many hillside tragedies, which is the main reason why we are against development on slope which exceeds 35 degrees,”
“The orphanage at Hulu Langat tragedy also situated at a hill around 35 degrees, same goes to (the proposed site) here,” she said.
Komunitikini understands that developer is normally not required to submit an Environment Impact Assessment or Traffic Assessment Report at the application stage with DBKL.
However, residents and direct neighbours to the proposed project can request for these reports to be made available to them.
Jimmy Tan
CJMY
