karrwei@thestar.com.my
KOTA Damansara residents became suspicious when they saw hoardings being put up along the boundary of a piece of land near their community forest.
Friends of Kota Damansara co-chairman Jeffrey Phang said that the land located between the SMK Section 10 Kota Damansara and the community forest was initially allocated for an Islamic secondary school.
“We’ve asked PKNS (Selangor State Development Corporation) several times and they told us that they have no plans for the land. There have been many tree planting projects carried out by corporate companies and environmental NGOs.
“We are concerned that the development of the land would impact the trees” he said.
He said that more than 300 tree saplings have been planted in the area, mostly of the Meranti species which was quite expensive.
After learning about the development, Phang and several volunteers got together to tag the trees.
“If it is true that they are developing the area, we want the trees to be moved to another area,” he said.
Phang added that it was not proper that the hoarding was put up without a signboard to inform the public what the project was about.
There was also no proper notice given to the immediate neighbours for them to give their feedback or their objections.
Phang said that through their sources, residents found out that the development involved plans to build about 120 units of residential houses on the land.
Petaling Jaya City Council councillor V. Panneerselvam(PSM) said that residents have approached the council regarding the matter.
“I have spoken to the town planning department and it is confirmed that the location of the Islamic school has been swapped but we don’t have the full details yet.
“We will be asking for a chronology of events on behalf of the residents,” Panneerselvam said.
PKNS public relations manager Wazir Abdul Gani said that the land had been sold to a private company in 2007.
He said that the land for the religious school had been shifted to another location nearby and it was up to the religious authorities to follow up on the matter.
He added that if residents had any issues with the development of the land, it should be directed to the current owners.
Meanwhile, a call to the developer’s office revealed that the double-storey houses planned for the area have already been sold.