ON Jan 26, a meeting was organised by the joint action committee for Bukit Gasing on the proposed development of the hill on the Kuala Lumpur side.

The group decided to take legal action to stop the development of Gasing Meridian. As I heard it, residents were asked to contribute towards a trust fund for legal costs estimated to be around RM150,000.

The claims of the committee, such as that lives would be lost and that green lungs should be saved, appear to be a little stretched and somewhat misleading.

However, Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur should address these claims in a fair manner.

It should also be transparent on why approval was granted.

It should also clarify if the concerns raised by the committee are valid.

As a resident of the area, I feel that if we oppose the development of the hill, we could lose the entire Gasing Hill to a group of squatters.

Over the last three years, numerous squatter huts have been put up without any effective intervention from the authorities.

The invasion of the squatters will have far worse effects on water retention and slope stability compared with a controlled development that is supervised by the regulatory authorities.

Poor sanitation, waste disposal, drainage and social issues, due to close proximity to the squatter area, will be an added headache and misery to deal with. Let’s not lose our objectivity and be misguided.

S.M., Petaling Jaya

Source: NST – January 30, 2008