Nine years after promises were made to turn one of Kuala Lumpur?s most popular walking and biking spots, Bukit Kiara, into a public ?federal? park, nothing has moved.

Instead, the land has been hijacked by property developers and fencing now surrounds the park. There are multiple developers involved, each working on private land.

Had things gone as promised, Bukit Kiara would be a park like London?s Hyde Park, to be developed and managed by the National Landscape Department (JLN).

The Cabinet announced this on July 5, 2006, and JLN was assigned the management and supervision of the park in August 2010, after Kuala Lumpur City Hall?s (DBKL) approval.

But far from being a green and peaceful haven, Bukit Kiara today is a scene of destruction, barricaded by developers? fences to demarcate public and private space.

The park is steadily being plundered by relentless bulldozers and developers in a hurry to build another luxury enclave.

Residents have to contend with traffic jams from Taman Tun Dr Ismail to Mont Kiara, and dust from construction of the Mass Rail Transit (MRT) line. The popular lookout area now overlooks a building being constructed. The park now feels smaller.

What was once a haven for nature lovers is fast becoming another casualty of corporate greed.

Deafening silence

Bukit Kiara was a secondary forest spanning 189ha and surrounded by housing and commercial estates such as Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Sri Hartamas, Lebuhraya Sprint and is popular among nature lovers, sports fans such as cyclists, runners and hikers.

The park sees about 4,000 visitors during the weekends, comprising locals and expatriates. It is also home to streams of Level 1 standard: water that is safe for consumption.

Formerly a rubber estate, the park is home to rubber trees tapped by some 30 tappers, seduduk plants used by Orang Asli for healing cuts and burns, and small animals such as birds, snakes, squirrels and monkeys. In short, it is a nature haven for city folk.

Residents of the surrounding suburbs who frequent the park, as well as conservationists, want Bukit Kiara to remain untouched.

Proactive residents are fighting hard but have had to deal with blocks sanctioned by government agencies such as DBKL, as well as bureaucracy and lackadaisical attitudes.

Residents have tried for many years to speak to the federal government, DBKL and JLN about buffer zones, but to no avail. JLN says it is out of its jurisdiction.

There have been three ?Save Bukit Kiara Walks? and also a petition with more than 10,000 signatories handed over to the Prime Minister's Office. They have even spoken to MP Lim Lip Eng to raise the issue in Parliament but all responses to date have come to naught.

DBKL did not respond to The Malaysian Insider's request for comments.

Too many players

Previous reports on Bukit Kiara highlight the political and corporate interests which have caused the park?s decline.

The Edge reported on the protracted saga in 2013, showing Berjaya Corp Bhd?s keen interest in the land in the equestrian centre for ?eco-friendly condominiums?, an ?eco-friendly hospital and an arena.

This is currently being blocked by DBKL because the land is gazetted as ?open green space?.

?No one is claiming that paperwork can be bulldozed in a week. However, the original Cabinet gazette was in June 2007. Surely, that is a tad bit ridiculous?

"The word ?governance? is tossed around a lot. We were told the KL Master Plan was under OSA (Official Secrets Act). When stupidity of this fashion is the order of the day, it is difficult for the common folk to assume anything but collusion by those in power,? said an observer who declined to be named, but has been following the park?s progress.

According to the kassimhijau blog, Berjaya has started bulldozing the area within the Bukit Kiara Equestrian Centre.

?They have already started dramatically raising fees for the equestrian centre members, and they have tried to squash any form of dissent or awareness made by members.?

Seni Nusantara Sdn Bhd has started building what would seem to be a mansion on the east side of Kiara, facing Desa Sri Hartamas. Two other developers involved in the Kiara development are Impiana Land and Development Sdn Bhd and Qiana Development Sdn Bhd.

Former Malaysian Nature Society president Professor Dr Maketab Mohamed said: ?The main problem is that there are so many ?players? or stakeholders on the scene – Local and Housing Ministry with its own departments – JLN and Federal Territories Ministry with its own DBKL.

?Then you have the residents? groups protesting against the development."

Ecological nightmare

With developers making their presence felt, residents near Bukit Kiara can expect a significant sociological impact.

One blog has been highlighting Bukit Kiara?s destruction. Kassimhijau said: ?On the eastern side facing Desa Sri Hartamas, a developer of Kiara View has started building a monstrosity of a house immediately below the view known by many as 'Lookout'.

"If you go to the plans on their website, you also see a new building depicted with an even higher development touting a view of downtown KL, something that is uncannily similar to the viewpoint smack on the boundary of the Kiara fence and where those who frequented Kiara would often take a breather as they took in the sights of the Petronas Towers and Menara KL," Kassimhijau said.

Observers and eco-conservationists have noted that that much of the destruction has been done without permits in place.

Kassimhijau added: ?They destroyed large swathes of what use to be a pristine network of trails used by kampung folk, trail runners, wildlife photographers and mountain bikers.

"The bulldozers went in from Penchala in a fashion that no one would have known about. No signposts indicating that there was a development in progress and a solitary bulldozer track that went in steeply up the slope, shooting eastwards through the trees until it got into the valley on the other side. The bulldozer did not stop there. It proceeded forward following the same trail that outdoor enthusiasts have used for decades, ending up just before the small kampung houses that are below Kiaramas Ayuria.

?Yet again, another pristine stream has been permanently destroyed, more trees have come down, and this is only the tip of the iceberg for this area. Eventually, it has been discovered, 115 bungalow lots will be built in this area.?

Bukit Kiara is prime land and its destruction has been methodical and tactical.

For residents and nature lovers, this last green lung of the city will soon be a distant memory.

Reference : The Malaysian Insider