KUALA LUMPUR – A group of disgruntled residents from localities in the city centre here have handed a memorandum to the authorities lamenting alleged inadequacies in the drafted Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan 2040 (KLSP2040).
The Save Kuala Lumpur Committee (SKL), which consists of more than 30 residential associations, represented dissatisfied residents during a meeting with mayor Datuk Seri Mahadi Che Ngah at the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) today.
During the meeting prior to Mahadi’s attendance, committee chairman Datuk Mumtaz Ali submitted a memorandum calling for authorities to adhere to due process when constructing the local plan.
“In July 2020, SKL participated in a public hearing on the KLSP2040 and submitted more than 60 pages of input, comments and objections to fundamental flaws in the KLSP2040 draft, including glaring factual omissions and sheer misrepresentation.
“However, until today, we (SKL) have not heard back from DBKL. We just want to know what the status of our submission is,” he told reporters here today.
According to Mumtaz, SKL was only made aware of the draft being completed and submitted to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during a city sustainability conference on February 18.
He added that some of the ostensible gaps in the KLSP2040 draft, included the lack of a clear strategy to address the shortfall of open space and no master plan for infrastructure and utilities.
“Errors in the draft on existing land use leads to questions on fundamental integrity of the plan.
“While DBKL claims that there is insufficient undeveloped land to accommodate housing needs, the Valuation and Property Services Department of Malaysia shows that the planned supply of residential housing with the property overhang would be sufficient, although not the appropriate type of houses.”
He added that the plan is not ready to be approved by Anwar as resident groups have been sidelined in the plan’s draft.
Copies of the memorandum were also handed over to several MPs, including Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani (Titiwangsa), Lim Lip Eng (Kepong), Zahir Hassan (Wangsa Maju) and Tan Kok Wai (Cheras).
Meanwhile, Mahadi said he is open to attending a development planning presentation organised by SKL, adding that the draft document submitted to Anwar is “in the explanation stages”.
“If possible, we (DBKL) would like to hasten KLSP2040’s implementation, as the previous city plan (KLSP2020) has since expired and we now have new dynamics and principles under (Anwar’s) administration,” he told reporters.
He also assured that various experts in related fields have been consulted for the draft, and that the KLSP2040 is a long-term plan which aims to eliminate problems faced by citizens in the area.
KLSP2040 is meant to be a planning document on, among others, goals and policies to guide the development of the city up to 2040. – The Vibes, March 10, 2023
