Latest news with #KUALALumpurCityHall
The Star
07-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Star
EV chargers limiting TTDI parking spaces
EV charging stations should not take away public parking spaces. KUALA Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has allowed a company to instal electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in the worst possible locations in Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI), Kuala Lumpur. This means that public parking bays are being privatised. The identified locations include Lorong Rahim Kajai 13 and Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad. These commercial areas are already acutely short of public parking spaces. This poor decision to instal EV charging facilities will further deprive the public of space to park their cars. We are not against EV charging stations but we are against their location. In our opinion, EV charging stations should not take away public parking spaces. Those who want to venture into the business should do it through joint ventures with private carpark operators. Khairudin Rahim Chairman, Medan Athinahapan Security Scheme TTDI
The Star
15-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
DBKL plan for expedited approvals sparks concern
The plan by City Hall to expedite issuance of development orders has drawn brickbats from community leaders. — Filepic KUALA Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has come under fire over its move to expedite the approval process for building plans and applications for development orders. StarMetro had on June 13 reported that DBKL was working to improve its One-Stop Centre (OSC) to speed up workflow. Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Maimunah Mohd Sharif had said that DBKL aimed to approve building plans in 21 days and development orders in 42. 'This process will involve closer coordination with 28 external agencies and eight internal departments,' she was quoted as saying. Non-governmental organisation (NGO) Save Kuala Lumpur chairman Datuk M. Ali said the move gave the public the impression that DBKL favoured developers. 'City Hall appears to be making the OSC process more efficient for developers, but what about Kuala Lumpur residents? 'To ensure transparency, DBKL should also make the OSC portal accessible to the public,' said Ali, adding that this would allow the public to find out about potential developments happening around them. Adrihazim: Faster approvals risk further strain on infrastructure. Friends of Bukit Dinding chairman Adrihazim Abdul Rashid said expediting approvals for development projects risked putting further strain on the environment and infrastructure in the capital. 'While it might be good for developers, it may have the opposite impact on those affected by the projects. 'Do we really need faster project approvals when infrastructure in Kuala Lumpur can barely keep up with development?' asked Adrihazim. Yee: Site visits crucial to ensure City Hall gets full picture of a project's impact. Maimunah had also said that DBKL was working on enhancing platforms for digital applications, but community activist Yee Poh Ping has raised some concerns. 'Site visits to assess the full impact of a project on surrounding areas must be done before approvals are issued. 'This is to avoid over-reliance on technical reports that are submitted online, which may not reflect the situation in and around the project site,' he said. On the recently gazetted Kuala Lumpur Local Plan 2040, the mayor had said 139 locations in Kuala Lumpur were earmarked for urban renewal projects.
The Star
25-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
‘Landowners asked for commercial zoning'
Rosli: Landowners' opinions sought according to procedure. KUALA Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) says landowners of the 120-year-old Vivekananda Ashram in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, asked for its site to be zoned as 'main commercial'. Its City Planning Department senior deputy director Rosli Nordin said the ashram landowners and other landowners in the vicinity requested for the change in zoning status for the 0.4ha site. The site was recently zoned as 'main commercial' under Kuala Lumpur Local Plan 2040 while the ashram building is classified as 'Category 1 Heritage Building' under National Heritage Act 2005. 'We obtained their opinions through procedures under Rule 7 in Planning (Development) Rules 1970,' Rosli said at a conference held in Kuala Lumpur. He was responding to session moderator Charles Tan, a member of the Save Kuala Lumpur Coalition. Tan said the area was not classified as 'main commercial' in the 2020 local plan, so the recent zoning was actually a change. The conference themed 'Moving Towards a Sustainable City' was organised by Kuala Lumpur Residents Action for Sustainable Development Association and attracted about 100 attendees. It featured three panel sessions that discussed the issues of transparency and public participation in development control processes, hill land management, and urban renewal. Another heated exchange occurred during a session discussing urban renewal. Concerns were raised about the proposed Urban Renewal Act (URA), which an attendee alleged does not include homeowners and residents, and would grant too much power to the minister in charge. He also questioned the need to lower the consent threshold from 80% to 75%. In answer, Town and Country Planning Department (PLANMalaysia) head of technical drafting unit Lilian Tai said URA would not grant excessive power to the minister. 'If you read through the law, the minister is not the only member of the executive committee responsible for urban renewal,' she said. She added that the government was opening up an avenue for residents to be involved in the development of URA. The attendee urged Tai and the relevant authorities to visit the 139 sites earmarked for redevelopment, to obtain residents' feedback. Tai replied that the 139 sites were only 'potential' sites for redevelopment. 'Even if the sites were already gazetted for redevelopment, the developer still needs to go through a consultation process led by the government. 'The project won't take off if it is not viable,' she explained.
The Star
19-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
DBKL mulls setting up zero-waste zones
(From third left) Maimunah, Dr Zaliha, Dr Wan Azizah and Ramlee with DBKL's strategic partners at the event. — ONG SOON HIN/The Star KUALA Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) is considering designating busy spots in the city as zero-waste zones as part of a bigger effort to reduce waste and make the capital more environmentally friendly. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa said tourist hotspots were among areas to be considered under the initiative. 'We have yet to go through the details,' she said. 'We will discuss this with stakeholders, including community leaders, industry players and traders associations before coming up with the mechanism.' Dr Zaliha said this after launching the 70-page Kuala Lumpur Towards Zero Waste 2040 Roadmap at DBKL headquarters in Jalan Raja Laut. The document will serve as a framework for planning and long-term action to address waste management in the city. It was developed by DBKL based on analysis of existing policies and at local, national and international levels with input from stakeholders. The roadmap aims to reduce waste by 60%, comprising 20% organic and 40% inorganic waste, by 2040. Dr Zaliha also urged DBKL to consider introducing green community certifications and fiscal incentives for commercial premises to adopt green practices. In her speech at the launch, Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Maimunah Mohd Sharif said the roadmap marked a shift from a linear system focused on using and disposing, to a circular economy emphasising on reducing, separating and recycling. 'Kuala Lumpur generates up to 2,300 tonnes of wastes daily, and some RM260mil is spent annually to deal with it. 'This is unsustainable and calls for a change in how we approach waste management,' she said. Separately, Dr Zaliha said Malaysia recently became the first non-European country to be accepted into the Davos Baukultur Alliance, a global initiative by the World Economic Forum aimed at promoting sustainable and culturally sensitive approaches to developing cities. She added that Kuala Lumpur had been named one of the pioneering cities in the initiative. Dr Zaliha recently delivered a speech in Venice, Italy, on how the city-planning approach currently practised in Kuala Lumpur was in line with the principles advocated by Davos Baukultur. Present at the launch were Federal Territories Department director-general (planning and development) Datuk Ramlee Yatim, Bandar Tun Razak MP Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and Wangsa Maju MP Zahir Hassan.
The Star
13-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Eight compounds issued to six road excavation contractors in KL
DBKL and CIDB personnel inspecting a road excavation contractor in Kuala Lumpur. — Courtesy photo KUALA Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has issued eight compounds to road excavation contractors for violating the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974 (Act 133). In a social media post, it said that these contractors were carrying out work in Cheras, Bandar Tun Razak, Lembah Pantai, Segambut and Bukit Bintang. 'Some of the offences are absence of road blinker lights and traffic controllers, causing obstruction on public roads as well as piling up road excavation waste in a public space,' it said. According to DBKL, the operation was conducted with the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB). They inspected six contractors conducting road repairs across different locations in the city. 'Permit approvals, work procedures and other aspects were inspected to ensure the safety of workers, road users and the public as well as smooth traffic flow,' said DBKL. It added that CIDB also issued two notices to contractors who did not comply with the notice of information submission for approval to commence on-site construction works. Earlier, City Hall had also issued 35 compounds to traders who violated Act 133 around Lorong Haji Taib and Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman. DBKL said these traders had placed their goods in public spaces without approval, littered public areas and blocked drains with waste, affecting water flow. It added that the compounds were issued during its anti-litter enforcement operation. 'Besides taking action around Kuala Lumpur periodically, the operation also aims to instil a sense of responsibility among traders to always maintain cleanliness around their business premises. 'A clean environment can help portray a good image to visitors. 'At the same time, DBKL has also taken action and issued compounds to traders who are still causing obstruction on walkways in front of and behind their premises,' it added.
