PETALING JAYA: Residents here have been assured that they will get three lakes and not only one pond for recreation.
The Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) has promised PJ residents the “full package” once the Kelana Jaya Park is gazetted.
MBPJ public relations director Haniza Abdul Hamid said this in response to a query by Friends of Kelana Jaya Park, an NGO, which claimed that the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) was handing over to the council only a pond at the park to be gazetted as a recreational area.
Haniza said the council’s town planning department will submit an evaluation report of the lakes to the Petaling land office before it can be submitted to the State Government to be gazetted.
“We have to clarify that the process of gazetting the park involves the council’s town planning department, the state government and land off ice,” she said.
“We start with the three lakes first, before proceeding with the pond owned by PKNS.
We are appointing a surveyor to determine the boundaries for the park,” she added.
Friends of Kelana Jaya Park secretary Musa K. Muhamad said their concern as not with the issue of the ponds per se, but the lakes being gazetted as a recreational area.
“If the lakes are not gazetted as a recreational area, we fear that the land may be earmarked for more commercial d e ve l o p m e n t , ” he said.
He added that the society has prepared a memorandum demanding that the state government gazette the park, which will be handed over to Seri Setia state assemblyman Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad soon.
“The promise to gazette the 42-hectare was made six years ago. We do not want more years to be wasted,” he said.
It was reported that PKNS had promised to hand over the park to MBPJ for it to be gazetted as a recreational area.
PKNS public relations manager Mohd Wazir Abdul Gani had said the park’s handingover process had been planned as far back as 2005, when the issue was raised with the then former Selangor menteri besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo in 2005.
Wazir confirmed yesterday PKNS had submitted the letter of handover for the pond (behind the Kelana Jaya Seafood restaurant) to MBPJ on Tuesday, to be gazetted as part of the Kelana Jaya park. Wazir clarified that the three lakes in the Kelana Jay a park are part of state government land and not owned by PKNS.
The move ends a long battle by residents who have pushed for the park to be gazetted as a recreational area after PKNS announced plans to build sfaff quarters on the site.
Following a protest by residents, Dr Mohd Khir promised that the land would be transferred to the council, but to date, residents were still awaiting the handover.