Save Bukit Kiara
NINE years ago, the Cabinet announced ( on July 5, 2006) that Bukit Kiara would be made into a public park to be managed by the National Landscape Department.
It was touted to serve not only Taman Tun Dr Ismail in KL, but also nearby Sri Hartamas, Mont Kiara and Damansara Heights. However, till now, the park has not been established.
Over the years, there have been three “Save Bukit Kiara Walks” and a petition with more than 10,000 signatories handed over to the Prime Minister’s Office.
The park sees an estimated 4,000 visitors during the weekends, comprising locals and expatriates. It is also home to streams of Level 1 standard: water that is safe for consumption.
Given that Bukit Kiara is surrounded by upmarket residential areas, there is strong pressure to “develop” the green areas.
It has been reported that various parties may already be “nibbling away” at the fringes of Bukit Kiara.
In March, Pola Singh & Jan Stuivenberg wrote a letter to The Star ( http:// bit. ly/ 1RUza9W) in response to the announcement that RM150mil has been allocated for a five- year project at Bukit Kiara Federal Park, as announced by Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan, the Minister for Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government.
“An allocation of RM150mil for a five- year project means spending on average RM2.5mil every month!” they noted, as members of the Friends of Bukit Kiara advocacy group.
“Before this project is implemented, it will be good if the ministry holds a dialogue session with the key stakeholders of Bukit Kiara to discuss how best the RM150mil should be spent.”
More importantly, they said the public would like to know the status of the gazetting of Bukit Kiara as a green lung.
“It is pointless to continue upgrading Bukit Kiara Park only to find that developers have been successful in getting designated plots for their projects.
“Unless and until the whole of Bukit Kiara is gazetted, we cannot rule out the ‘ takeover’ of prime land in the heart of Kuala Lumpur for property development,” they wrote.
They added that the past activities of the National Landscape Department in Bukit Kiara such as the construction of the fence and the slope stabilisation exercises had resulted in considerable damage to the park.
“We are worried that the same will happen again. We want our children and their children to relish the greenery that we are enjoying, located strategically in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.”