Thesun 2008-12-16 Page06 Poser Over Hillslope Development

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theSun

| TUESDAY DECEMBER 16 2008

news without borders

Poser over hillslope developments by Maria J. Dass [email protected]

legally binding directives to all states and local authorities in relation to planning and hillslope protection pertaining to development on class 3 and 4 slopes (25 degrees and above). Approved projects can be cancelled if the documentation involved does not comply with standards in law, is false, misleading and inaccurate. “In most cases, soil investigations are usually not done properly and the development impact proposal is inaccurate and if these are misleading or don’t follow the law, the development approvals can be cancelled,” he said. He said infrastructure in the areas must be in place but some local authorities and developers overlooked or ignored these requirements.

KAMARIDUAN MOHD NOR/THESUN

PETALING JAYA: Questions should be posed as to how developers got hold of land and approvals to develop on high-risk hillslopes, said planning lawyer and Petaling Jaya City Council councillor Derek Fernandez. Describing the situation as scary, he said existing housing areas built on high-risk slopes in Bukit Antarabangsa, Bukit Gasing and Medan Damansara are ticking time-bombs for similar disasters as the one that occurred at Bukit Antarabangsa on Dec 6. “An immediate review of all existing hillslope development in high-risk areas should be done and a list of highrisk areas and

areas prone to landslides should be made available to the public immediately,” Fernandez said. New or existing development in high-risk areas should be stopped, he added. Owners of homes in the danger zones should look for small signs of slope failure and inform the local authorities. “Residents may need to engage their own experts for this and personal safety should override considerations of market value of the homes located in these areas,” he said. “It remains to be seen if the government ban on development on high-risk hillslopes is sincere or if it will be the broken record played over and over again.” Fernandez said the government should, through the National Physical Planning Council, issue

The controversial Bukit Ceylon project located near St Andrews Church

Worried about Bukit Ceylon project KUALA LUMPUR: Despite construction of the controversial Verticas Residensi project having been stopped temporarily on the slopes of Bukit Ceylon, residents in the vicinity remain concerned for their safety. The project, which is situated next to the 90-yearold St Andrews Presbyterian Church, was approved by DBKL earlier this year. Construction work started in August, and one side of the hill has been cleared of vegetation.

Although a minor landslide about a month ago damaged the guardhouse of the church, the construction company continued working until the government’s blanket freeze on hillslope development after the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide on Dec 6. “The church office next to the guard house has been deemed unsafe due to the project,” said Chrisanne Chin, a youth coordinator at the church. She said the soil erosion

in the area would worsen due to the current rainy weather. The development, compromising a 34-storey and three 43-storey apartment blocks, is located metres below some bungalows and a reservoir. The project has raised questions as to how DBKL approved the project despite guidelines that were introduced in 1997 that no housing development should be allowed on slopes with gradients of 25 degrees and above.

Ex-post office manager jailed 3 years for CBT KUALA LUMPUR: The sessions court here yesterday sentenced a former manager of the Putrajaya post office to three years’ jail for committing criminal breach of trust involving RM95,500. Judge S.M. Komathy Suppiah ordered that the jail sentence on Zaharah Jaafar, 45, be effective from yesterday.

Soon after sentence was delivered, Zaharah, who was accompanied by her daughter and husband, started weeping. In passing sentence, Komathy said Zaharah had committed a serious offence as it involved a large sum and that it should serve as a lesson to all. Zaharah had on Aug 20

pleaded guilty to committing criminal breach of trust involving RM95,500 belonging to the post office at Aras 1, Blok B1, Prime Minister’s Department, Putrajaya on May 18, 2006. She was charged under section 409 of the Penal Code which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ jail, a fine, and whipping. – Bernama