Bandar Madani Bukit Jalil: Residents urge halt to 17,000 units

Residents of Bukit Jalil want registration halted for Bandar Madani, a 17,000-unit housing project. They want a pause until Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) finishes its studies, The Star reported.

They cite density, traffic and a shortage of public facilities. Protest leaders say they are not against development, but they say this project is too big for the area.

Here is what the project is, what residents want, why they object, and what the government has said so far.

What Bandar Madani project is

The project would stand on about 26.3 hectares in Mukim Petaling, Kuala Lumpur. The Star said it covers 23 government plots, with buildings of up to 40 storeys.

PR1MA Corporation Malaysia, an agency under the Housing and Local Government Ministry, is the developer. The Star reported a mix of 14,200 PR1MA units, 1,750 Residensi Madani units and 1,050 homes for civil servants.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced the project in the Budget 2027 speech on 9 October. The Edge reported that registration for the first phase opened on 12 October.

PR1MA said on 10 October that the township would have a vertical school and a health clinic. It also lists parks and a hub, The Edge reported. Phase one should start building in 2027, The Star said.

What residents are asking for

On 14 October, residents handed a memorandum to Seputeh MP Teresa Kok outside Parliament. They came from Bukit Jalil, Bandar Kinrara and Taman Puncak Jalil. It is meant for the Prime Minister, The Star reported.

Kok said 75 residents’ associations and NGOs endorsed it. They want registration halted until DBKL completes two studies. One is the Kuala Lumpur Local Plan 2040 review. The other covers Bukit Jalil.

Kok raised the issue in the Dewan Rakyat on 13 October. The Edge reported that she also asked for earthworks to stop until the studies are done.

Protest committee chairman Zainuddin Zainal asked for an engagement session with DBKL, the government and residents. About 7,000 people have signed an online petition, and about 500 joined a gathering on 16 September.

Why residents object to the development

Zainuddin said the project is too dense and does not fit the Local Plan 2040. He said residents “are not objecting to development”, but the plan ignores traffic and a lack of classrooms and hospitals.

Malaysiakini reported residents’ figures from their memorandum. They put density at about 370 homes per acre, against 136 at a nearby project. They say it would add 51,000 people to an area of 210,000.

Kok estimated that homes in the area would reach 95,389 by 2031, even without this project. She said Bukit Jalil needs an MRT or rail link, not more high-density housing.

She also alleged that PR1MA did not follow PlanMalaysia’s guidelines on community facilities, including the vertical school. In addition, she said only about 10% of units are Madani homes at RM200,000. PR1MA units are RM390,000 to RM480,000, she said.

What the government has said

Federal Territories Minister Hannah Yeoh said phase one still needs conditions and DBKL’s planning permission, The Star reported.

The Star reported in September that DBKL had delayed phase one for now after an 11 August meeting with residents. Kok said registration still opened on 12 October, while the DBKL studies were unfinished.

Wangsa Maju MP Zahir Hassan also received the memorandum. He said roads and an MRT line should come with the project, Malaysiakini reported.

The reports we read carry no reply from the Prime Minister or PR1MA to the residents’ objections. Residents say legal action remains an option.