PKNS confirms park handover in two weeks

PKNS confirms park handover in two weeks
by Halim Said

(Source: NSTonline, Friday 16 May 2008)

SUBANG JAYA: As promised the Selangor State Development Corporation will, in two weeks time, hand over the Kelana Jaya park to the Petaling Jaya City Council to be gazettted as a recreational area.

PKNS public relations manager Mohd Wazir Abdul Gani said the process of handing over the park, which also includes three lakes which is reserved as a water catchment pond, has been long planned since the issue was brought up to the former Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo in 2005.

"Talks to surrender the park to the council began in 2005 but nothing concrete could be finalised.

"Land disputes usually take a long time," he added.

Mohd Wazir said PKNS was in the midst of finalising the content of the surrender-documents which he said he was not at liberty to disclose.

"The official handing over of the documents will be held in next two weeks.

"We will send the letter to MBPJ notifying them of the hand over," he said.

He added after MBPJ had received the letter, PKNS would wait for their response before further action was taken.

Meanwhile, MBPJ public relations director Haniza Abdul Hamid, when informed of PKNS' decision on the hand over, said that she will refer the matter to the council's Town Planning department.

"The department will go through the documents once we receive it from PKNS and proceed from there on according to the specifications of lake management," she said.

However, Haniza said MBPJ would still hold a meeting with PKNS to assess the park hand-over matter.

"At the moment we have yet to receive anything in black and white from PKNS."

It was reported in Streets recently that Seri Setia assemblyman Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad is pushing for the park to be gazetted as a recreational area for the Kelana Jaya residents.

In the report, Taman Kelana Indah Residents' Association vice-president Musa Mohamad said the residents have been fighting for the park to be gazetted as a recreational area for the past six years.

PKNS had earlier planned to build workers quarters for its staff which drew protest from the Kelana Jaya residents. Following the protest, Dr Mohd Khir Toyo promised that the land ownership would be transferred to the council but nothing had happened until now.

The park, near the PKNS Sports Complex, has three lakes, making it an ideal recreational area for the residents.