'DOE okayed condo after Dolomite gave solution'

The Department of Environment (DOE) and the Minerals and Geoscience Department had "no objections" to the controversial 29-storey condominium project next to Batu Caves after an "engineering solution" was presented by developer Dolomite Sdn Bhd.

"The Geoscience Department had initially said it was not good location to build (the structure) but the developer showed that it is able to and had the engineering solution.

"Then the DOE gave the certification and permission, so after that the Geoscience Department no longer had objections," Housing and Local Government Minister Chor Chee Heung (right) told the Dewan Rakyat today.

Chor said this when winding up during the committee stage debate on the Budget 2013 allocation for his ministry.

Selangor executive councillors Ronnie Liu and Dr Xavier Jeyakumar have said that the previous BN government approved the project in 2007 despite objections from the DOE.
'BN and Pakatan must share blame'

However, Chor said, the Pakatan Rakyat government too must share the blame as the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) councillors who approved the building plans in July 2008 did so under Pakatan's rule.

"If you say it should not have been approved (due to the DOE objections), then why did the MPS full board approve it in July 2008?" he asked.

Chor said the BN-era councillors had only approved planning and no construction could be undertaken solely with that.

"When the (Pakatan) councillors were appointed, they agreed with the development. So BN and Pakatan both had a hand in this," he said.

Abdul Khalid Samad (PAS-Shah Alam) rose to object to this claim, saying that it was not up to the local councillors to approve building plans as they do not have the expertise to do so.

"These are councillors who were appointed a month before and they were made to make a decision on something that had an approved building plan, without information from the geoscience report, etc.

"It's not fair. You are evading the issue and putting blame on the blameless," Abdul Khalid said.

To this, the minister said the procedure dictated that all plans must be "endorsed" by a full board meeting of the council.

"Why don't you check with them (MPS)? You have your connections, you check. What's the point of me lying in this august house?" Chor replied.

He then elaborated on the DOE and geoscience report, after being pressed by M Kulasegaran (DAP-Ipoh Barat), much to the minister's frustration.

"Shut up and listen to me. You are such a ruffian!" Chor said, after both he and deputy speaker Ronald Kiandee failed to halt Kulasegaran's continuous interruptions.