‘No objection to school but don’t disturb our privacy’

Taman Kanagapuram residents' association say they have no objection to a school in their area but the parents are not allowed to go through their housing estate.

PETALING JAYA: The residents of Taman Kanagapuram do not want anything to disturb their tranquality.

Although they had objected to the building of low cost flats near their housing estate, they however have no objection to a school being built on the same site.

But there is a condition – the access road to the school must not go through their housing estate.

Taman Kanagapuram residents’ association president S Selvaratnam said this was because the housing area was designated as a low density housing area under town planning regulations.

“And we pay higher assessment for our bungalow lots for its unique feature. So it’s common sense that there should be less traffic at our residential area,” said the 54-year-old businessman.

In 2003, residents of the housing area took an injunction against developer Peter Brickworks Sdn Bhd when the latter decided to build low cost flats at the site now slated for a national school.

The flat block was supposed to be the fifth one built by the developer to cater for 276 families from squatter areas nearby, which Peter Brickworks had promised to build for them in 2000.

The stalled project left many of the former squatter settlers in a lurch for eight years until the Selangor state government took over the project in June.

In its decision, the Selangor government decided to build Block E at a site near a Chinese vernacular school while reviving a stalled school project at the site in dispute.

On why the residents objected to the Block E project then, Selvaratnam said the low cost housing project itself was not in compliance with the Town Planning Act.

“A high rise building near our place would change the demographics of our residential area and invade our privacy,” said Selvaratnam.

Queried on how parents would ferry their children when the school is ready, Selvaratnam said parents could easily use the road from Wisma Peters, which is linked to the New Pantai Expressway (NPE).
“The road was initially built so that residents from Block B and Block D can use the road. Currently, the road is under utilised,” said Selvaratnam.

Taman Kanagapuram houses nearly 400 people with a majority of them being senior citizens.