The owner of two “mystery buildings” built on land owned by the Federal Territories Land and Mines Office on Medan Imbi is given until the end of this month to discuss possible options with Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), reported Free Malaysia Today.
Federal Territories Minister Khalid Samad said one of the buildings is an office that looks like a six-star hotel while the other is a restaurant.
He wondered how the company was able to secure a development order when the land did not belong to them nor the DBKL. The two parcels of land were zoned as open space and measures 9,000 sq ft each.
“It is a miracle that the company was able to build on someone else’s land. It is so blatant to do this on government land…We are waiting for a response from the company, for them to suggest to us a solution,” he said.
“If there is no response, we will take it that they are not interested in saving the buildings.”
He revealed that the company could apply to acquire the land at the prevailing market price, obtain development approvals, pay all the premiums and settle the fines that might be imposed.
Khalid noted that the company had applied to rent the first plot on 25 March 2015 for eight years in order to put up a two-storey building.
A minister allegedly ordered to expedite the application on 4 December 2015. A development order for the construction of a restaurant was issued on 17 June 2016. Three months later, permission to construct a six-storey building was granted by DBKL’s one-stop centre, he said.
For the second site, the same company requested permission from DBKL to build a temporary kiosk, with the same minister asking the matter to be handled.
“On June 10, 2016, a development order was approved by DBKL to the company to build the temporary kiosk…At the time, they imposed a rent of RM16,000 a month to fruit sellers operating there,” noted Khalid.
The approval came even as two MPs – Lim Lip Eng (Segambut) and Fong Kui Lun (Bukit Bintang) – objected to the project.
Khalid intends to lodge a report relevant to the existence of the two buildings this week with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
“We will ask for those involved to be investigated because these are signs that abuse of power and misappropriation existed in DBKL and the ministry at the time.”
It would be unreasonable and wrong for authorities to say they have no knowledge of the matter considering that two MPs had protested the project and the case had been reported in the media, said Khalid.
If the owner fails to come forward, he revealed that they would not rule out the possibility of demolishing the buildings.
Image source: Free Malaysia Today
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