PUTRAJAYA: The Public Housing Association of Bukit Kiara is banking on the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government to help expedite the resettlement of 98 families relocated from Bukit Kiara Estate to longhouses in Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI).
The group today submitted a second memorandum to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to seek the Prime Minister’s assistance to expedite the fulfillment of the Master Resettlement Agreement (MRA) signed in 2015 between the longhouse settlers and Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan (YWP).
Under the agreement, the settlers were offered permanent affordable housing on land next to the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple and opposite the existing longhouses. YWP made an offer of two affordable units for each family, the original settler getting a unit for free and a next-of-kin able to buy a unit at half the price.
Association chairman Sunderam Vadiveloo today handed over a memorandum to the Prime Minister’s special officer, Suwari Suno, after about 30 of the longhouse residents had gathered outside Perdana Putra.
A copy of the memorandum was also submitted to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Senator P. Waytha Moorthy through his private secretary, Mathavan Velayutham.
The affordable houses are part of a mega project which involves the construction of eight blocks of between 42- and 54-storey high-end serviced apartments, with 2,277 units. The affordable housing comprises a 29-storey block with 350 affordable housing units, with 200 reserved for the relocation of the longhouse families.
However, the project has now been scaled down with the revised plan comprising a 17-storey block of 204 affordable housing units for the longhouse folk, and four blocks of 41- to 45-storey condominiums, comprising 1,082 units in total.
TTDI residents are protesting the proposed development as they fear the 10.24ha Taman Rimba Kiara Park - their ‘last green lung’ in the area - would be in jeopardy.
“Amidst the MRA signed and a clear court decision in dismissing the suit and a stay order bought by the TTDI Residents Association on grounds of sound and fair judgment, the TTDI longhouse settlers are still stuck and facing an uphill task in getting their permanent homes after waiting for over 37 years,” Sunderam told reporters after submitting the memorandum.
He said the first memorandum was submitted last September.
“While the longhouse settlers are grateful and assured that the construction of new homes will finally proceed with the court’s decision in upholding the validity of the development order, sadly we do not see any site work construction progress up to now,” he said. — Bernama
