NGO accuses PJ mayor of dodging Bukit Gasing landslide concerns

Summary

• Peka slams PJ mayor Zahri Samingon for deflecting concerns of landslide risks in a Bukit Gasing development in his "defensive" statement earlier.

• The environmental NGO's president Rajesh Nagarajan says the development involves the construction of bungalows on steep slopes, which could cause landslides.

Environmental NGO Peka said Petaling Jaya mayor Zahri Samingon sidestepped concerns of landslide risks in a Bukit Gasing development project.

This came following The Star’s report on Zahri saying that the development of the bungalows had met Petaling Jaya City Council’s (MBPJ) criteria and that it was being done on privately owned land.

Zahri (above) added that the project did not encroach on the Bukit Gasing forest reserve.

Labelling Zahri's statement as "defensive", Peka president Rajesh Nagarajan said the development on steep slopes could cause landslides in the area.

"The mayor has not addressed this key issue - instead, he is steadfastly avoiding addressing the issue at hand and is deflecting by responding to a point that was never raised and is not a point in contention," Rajesh said in a statement today.

No evidence

He said there is no evidence for Zahri's claim that the project meets approval criteria and condemned the authorities' lack of transparency.

"If the project is truly compliant, we demand that the MBPJ show us the approvals.

"Failing which, the only logical conclusion is that the approvals are not in order," Rajesh added.

According to The Star further, Peka, along with Petaling Jaya residents and Bukit Gasing hikers, had staged a protest outside the MBPJ last week.

They handed over a memorandum to the city council, calling for a stop to hillside developments and for the council to release the approvals it granted for the project.

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