Khalid Taman Rimba Kiara Project Will Be Axed If Corruption Is Proven

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Residents have been protesting against the Taman Rimba Kiara condo project. (Facebook pic)KUALA LUMPUR: The development of high-rise condominium blocks in Taman Rimba Kiara will be cancelled should authorities find elements of corruption linked to the project
Federal Territories Minister Khalid Samad said Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) will not be required to pay the developers any compensation if they are involved in any misappropriation
“In the end, if they find elements of abuse in power, corruption or misappropriation, then the project will become illegal automatically
“So, if it’s illegal due to proven elements of corruption, the developer cannot demand any compensation as being involved in such activities is against the law
“But that’s something that I cannot prove myself as it has to be undertaken by MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission),” he said at a press conference at Parliament
He said DBKL would have to pay up to RM500 million to the developers should they decide to cancel the project immediately
This was after taking into account costs that had been spent to this day by the developers on top of the damage claims
“The amount that has been spent by the developers to date is RM155 million, as claimed. Add around RM300 million for compensation, which is roughly 3% of the RM3 billion estimated development cost
“On top of that, we still have to build houses for the longhouse residents using DBKL’s money of between RM15 million and RM25 million, making it a total of RM500 million,” he saidAlthough the Taman Rimba Kiara project is among 97 projects in the city under investigation by MACC, he hoped the project’s investigations can be given priority
Khalid also announced the establishment of a new joint committee involving the developer, Memang Perkasa Sdn Bhd, Yayasan Wilayah Persekutuan (YWP), the Kuala Lumpur mayor and several residents’ associations
This was to resolve the dispute over the project by finding a middle ground between the Taman Tun Dr Ismail residents’ associations, who are against the development, and the developers
Back in 2014, YWP, under the purview of the former Barisan Nasional government, entered a joint venture with Memang Perkasa Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Malton Bhd, to build a mega project on 4.8ha out of 10ha of Taman Rimba Kiara land
This mega project entailed the construction of a block of 350 affordable housing units for the Bukit Kiara longhouse community, and eight blocks of 50-storey high-end condominiums (1,800 units) for a total gross development value of at least RM3 billion
Kuala Lumpur City Hall issued a development order for the mega project on July 13, 2017, despite widespread objections from the TTDI community. -FMT

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