KINIGUIDE On Monday, five residents were arrested while protesting the construction of TNB power pylons in the residential area of Taman Cheras Hartamas.

Today's instalment of the KiniGuide seeks to shed light on the controversy, which may be unfamiliar to many Malaysians.

Where is Taman Cheras Hartamas?

Taman Cheras Hartamas (TCH) is located smack in the southeast of the Kuala Lumpur city centre, roughly 11km away.

TCH straddles the border between Selangor and Kuala Lumpur; most of it is located in the industrial state, though its eastern side spills across the border with Kuala Lumpur.

On its west is a side road named Jalan Cheras Hartamas which marks the boundary of the housing area, while Taman Connaught lies further to its west.

Viewed from the sky or on maps, the residential area looks like a cleaver laid on its side on a northwest-to-southwest axis. About 300 families reside in the 6,000-square metre area.

TCH falls under which local government?

The majority of TCH, which is located in Selangor, falls under the jurisdiction of two municipal councils - the MPAJ (Majlis Perbandaran Ampang) and MPKJ (Majlis Perbandaran Kajang).

But the portion of TCH that lies in Kuala Lumpur falls under the jurisdiction of DBKL (Kuala Lumpur City Hall).

This arrangement, which is due to its peculiar location, has resulted in TCH becoming almost like a local government no-man's land, as the lines between the different jurisdictions can often seem muddled.

What are pylons?

A pylon is a tall structure used to support high-tension transmission cables across great distances. National power company TNB plans to build several of these in and around TCH. In this particular case, the pylons are fishbone-shaped.

Based on TNB plans, a string of seven pylons will be constructed from the south of the residential area all the way to the southwest on the opposite side, creating an almost ‘U’ shape that will ring TCH.

Why must TNB build the pylons?

According to the Selangor government, the project is crucial to fulfil Selangor's development plan.

More specifically, the pylons are needed to provide power supply to the Langat 2 water processing plant and the upcoming Sungai Buloh-Kajang LRT line.