KUALA LUMPUR: Residents near the Bohol retention pond are still waiting for answers about the proposed development there a month after news of the project came to light.
Save Kampung Bohol Pond legal advisor Nasser Yusof said information on the pond upgrade work to be undertaken by developer Platinum Victory Sdn Bhd, which was awarded a residential project on the adjacent public land, was limited.
While the public can resort to legal recourse against the responsible parties, he said the affected residents hoped that the government would "listen to their voices" before making a decision on the project.
"What we want is for the relevant authorities to respond and answer every single question.
"Even if we can't look at the necessary documents related to the project, they (the authorities) should be able to elaborate on it," he told a press conference broadcast live on Facebook today.
Nasser said one of the issues raised was the gap between the RM41 million premium paid by the developer for the six plots of adjacent land measuring 10.84ha, which works out to around RM74 per sqft, and the land market price of around RM200 to RM300 per sq ft.
Considering contingencies in real estate, the cost should only go to about RM104 or RM105 per sq ft, he said.
"Our question is, what were the criteria or the benchmark used by the authorities in setting the price that low?
"Was it set as such value, in return for taking on RM40 million upgrading work on the retention pond or are there any other issues?" said Nasser, who lives in neighbouring residential scheme Taman Kinrara.
He said while the group was not against development, they asked for the Valuation and Property Management Department's justification on the premium rate on the government land as it was considered a loss to public coffers.
The proposed high-rise residential project on the land adjacent to the retention pond was met with objection by the public, who raised concerns over potential environmental and traffic impact in the area.
Three of the six plots of land will be used for affordable housing — one for Residensi Madani and two for the Federal Territory Affordable Housing Project (RumaWip). The developer would be free to decide the types of residential properties it wants to build on the three other plots.
Residents also questioned the public hearing that was held on May 20, after the tender was awarded, as well as the absence of irrigation experts during the session to address their concerns.