Monday, May 26, 2008

PUNCAK DANA, KEEP YOUR MONEY-GRABBING HANDS OFF OUR LAKE!


CLICK ON ALL IMAGES TO ENLARGE

Some 4 years ago I sold my landed property in Kelana Jaya and moved into a condo unit at Puncak Nusa Kelana. I never liked the idea of condo living as I would feel caged-in. I chanced upon this condo when I went to pick up a 90 year old birthday girl Aunty Betsy Rozells for breakfast. As Karen dealt with the security I took in the beauty of the lake fronting the condo. As we entered my Xaverian buddy of the 50's Gerard Rozells unit and from his lanai saw the garden one floor below I made up my mind that I could live in such a condo. .We immediately looked for a garden-floor unit, found it and within a week purchased it. I am enjoying my haven, the garden, the friendly ambiance, the very clean lap pool and of course OUR LAKE.



However around end March we noticed the water level of the lake was below its normal water-line. It was then we discovered the developer, Puncak Dana, draining off the lake.Most of us bought our units because of the lake. Earlier I praised our garden and our lap pool. It is what it is because we HOUNDED and HARASSED Kong & Jaafar, the Property Management group. Our condo was branded the MEWA category, thus our insistence on K&J maintaining the standards. Of course, the developer Puncak Dana washed their hands off any responsibilities. They even sold "common areas" much against S&P agreement. We complained and MBPJ sent them a letter to dismantle structures in common area.....but certain things must have changed hands - like "mutual agreement" between the developer and MBPJ. Nothing happened.

The pics below are self-explanatary.







The Pre-Management Corporation and the Resident Association recruited the assistance of our Adun YB Dr. Nasir (Kota Damansara) together with my buddies, YB Edward Lee and Tengku Nazaruddin, President of CACH, and blogger YB Elizabeth Wong., Selangor Exco (Environment).

We were told that Puncak Dana intends to build a mall on where the lake is. Another commercial complex when we already have Dana1 & Dana 2 to the east, Sime Darby's Oasis on the west, Damansara Ara business complex in the north-west, and Crimson business complex in the north-east......5 commercial complex withing some 3 kilometer radius.

I AM RELYING ON MY BLOGGING BUDDIES TO BLOG ABOUT SAVING THIS LAKE.

IF PUNCAK DANA WANTS A FIGHT, WE THE RESIDENTS ARE ABLE AND READY.

IF PUNCAK DANA WANTS A MALL,
WE TOO CAN OBLIGE WITH A MAUL.

25 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi Benard,

Keep up the good work by giving them a hard time.

Let us not be at the mercy of these money-grabbing developers.

We also bought this place because of the lake and it is a real pity if we have to lose it to these unscrupulous developers.

You are in good company, with assistance from our Adun YB Dr. Nasir (Kota Damansara), YB Edward Lee and Tengku Nazaruddin, President of CACH, and blogger YB Elizabeth Wong, Selangor Exco Environment). I hope more of our elected MPs in Selangor will walk the talk and make Selangor a better place to live.

We wish you all success in saving our lake and the too few green-lungs that we have left in PJ.

We already have too many malls in PJ and have no need for more.

We hope that the people in PJ will not support this project. The best way is to tell our friends not to invest in this commercial property as the supply in commercial properties in this area has already exceeded demand. So when the buying stops the project will hopefully be disbanded.

Save the world and stop global warming.

Cheers!

Unknown said...

Unc Zorro and his condo-mates need our help now. He was there to help others whenever the situation warranted.
Let us now do this little bit and help him and his condo-mates fight these bxxxxxds.
Come one come all.

Tan, Tanjong Bungah said...

Hi,

Even though I'm not residing in your area, I'm in full support in your fight to retain your lake.

We can't have these type of developers always looking for opportunities to grab 'land' to keep on building all sorts of malls, etc, just to enrich themselves.

Best regards in your fight!

Tan,
Tanjong Bungah

Donplaypuks® said...

Puncak means Peak and Dana means Trust. Put together, The Epitome of Trust.

What a f...ing misnomer!! This is what unscrupulous and conscienceless Developers having been doing all over KL & Selangor with utter contempt for their customers.

Many of these criminal acts, such as cementing over Green Lungs, are done right ubder the noses of City Hall.

They can be legally challenged as condo owners who bought their units based on the Lake view can sue for misrepresentation and loss in value of their investment.

Let the Developer try his luck in Australia, London, NY or Paris, and you will see their asses whipped by the authorities faster than you can say 'Manyana.'

So, go for it Zorro. Take them to the cleaners. First step, get an interim injunction, so they cannot start construction until City Hall investigates and the matter is finally resolved in Court.

Derek Fernandez would be a good ally in your fight.

ps could you put on your blog the name of the MD & other Directors & Shareholders so we can all harass them.

Anonymous said...

If have to, sell your soul, but don't allow the lake to be sold.

Anonymous said...

Sir,

This nation's misplaced priorities and moral obligation gone sour, must halt.

This mentality of 'fill-and-build' and 'cut-and-build' needs a national momentum to boot.

The former PM had openly lamented that builders must abandon their devastating modus operandi.

Tun has come and gone. But the practice stubbornly remains intact if not more ferocious now.

Will we ever learn -- all these greedy grabbing hands?

Do we not respect the gift of mother nature?

I agree with you that bloggers should converge to spearhead a national crusade to banish these devils in our midst for their crimes against our once beautiful nation.

Anonymous said...

what we are...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a15KgyXBX24

~~~beeranyone

Donald G.H Tan said...

Dear Bernard,

You have our support. We just hate actions by developers like this because they think of nothing else but money, money and money.
WTF, and they think the people are stoopid and brainless. But again, people still rents/buy those places and complain later of bad business. Just look at Klang's new super mall at Bukit Tinggi. It is a DEAD place from Mondays to Thursdays. In the evenings, many are just "lepaking" . The rentals are high and are just waiting how long these shops can last. We are living in Klang North and it would take us 40 minutes to get there because of bad traffic. We go to PJ instead!

From the look of the map, you are going to have a very tough fight.
Unless one can get to the root of the developer/MBPJ connection, it is a tough fight.
But you get our support. we are getting tired of such action and we want transparency. We are going to help you by blogging your situation.

All the Best.

Regards
Birds Talking

Anonymous said...

who approved it? the toyo maqn's time? dulu cabut gigi, sekarang cabut apa?

Anonymous said...

But them buggers will say everything was done legally and they've got all the approvals from the previous bandidos. And they gonna make themselves big bucks.

So, good luck to you El Zorro. Swish them good.

Anonymous said...

P/s It one ugly lake now, hombre. Yeeechhh!!!

Anonymous said...

We will fight these bastard lake busters all the way. We will fight these lake rapists with our might. We will never surrender. We must never let these criminals get away scot-free. Their godfather - Barisan and Umno - may have been on the ropes, but these developers will find ways to achieve their aims. We must always be alert.

J.T. said...

How many malls do we need? We don't need places like these to be turned into a concrete jungle. We have enough of those around.

All these money-grabbing developers do not value the beauty of nature. There must be a way to stop them - once and for all.

All the best.

muststopthis said...

El Zorro,
approvecho el tiempo, no dejo crecer el pasto debajo de sus pies....

Avanzar!

Lets call for a picnic around the lake and reclaim it from these environmental rapist!.......

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

majority of us are against any development of the lake. no wway it should be raped by them money-makers. from window, its clearly visible the water level has subsided. this is crazy shit man.

Eli, HELP US TO SAVE THE LAKE!!

Anonymous said...

I am selling home made guns

Anyone interested?

SO that we can shoot down their corrupted 0fficer

The Ancient Mariner said...

Friends of Kelana Jaya Park has been fighting for years to get our park and lakes gazetted as a public recreational area. We are still fighting and with the help of our new ADUN, this may become a reality.

You have our support, bro.

Anonymous said...

Remember "Save Tasik Cini" (Tuesday January 22, 2008) reported by The Star? Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said that there must be a method to save the lake from further destruction, including conducting studies to find the causes for the pollution and erosion. Najib said an aerial view from a helicopter showed that the lake's water had become brownish, was of an unpleasant smell and there was a lot of erosion. “Previously, the water was green and clean. Now, it is brown in colour, smelly and not deep any more,” he said. Saying he was sad to see this happen, Najib questioned the disappearance of lotus plants, which had made the lake beautiful. “There were lots lotus plants before but now they have disappeared,” he said. He said that results of the research by UKM would be used by the Government to find ways to save the lake.

Remember "New Selangor assemblymen celebrate Earth Day with residents" reported by The Star on Tuesday May 6, 2008? The highlight of the celebration was nature lovers hearing the views of newly-elected representatives – Bukit Lanjan state assemblyman Elizabeth Wong, Kota Damansara state assemblyman Dr Nasir Hashim and Subang MP S. Sivarasa – on the environment and what they would do to improve the current situation. Wong, who is also the Selangor state exco member holding the tourism and environment portfolio, said there were many initiatives that she would be undertaking with the help of other assemblymen.
“The new Selangor Government will emphasise community-centred development to ensure sustainability and minimal impact on environment,” said Wong. A task force consisting of non-governmental organisations, industry experts and scientists will be formed to advice the state government on environmental policies. Where is this task force??? Petaling Jaya City Council representatives also presented the Local Agenda 21 with emphasis on the responsibility of the community to work with the local authority to ensure that sustainability happens. “We hope that other councils will also adopt the Local Agenda 21 to continue this green effort,” Nasir said. Among the activities at the event were jungle trail walks, night jungle walks, and boat rides.

Remember "Selangor invites volunteers to help spread environmental message" reported in the Star papers on Monday May 5, 2008? “Our target are students and, for the next phase of the programme, we would be going to schools, colleges and universities to recruit people and increase awareness,” Selangor tourism, consumer affairs and environment committee chairman Elizabeth Wong said. Also present at the launch was Selangor Environment Department director Che Asmah Ibrahim. Those who are interested in becoming Green Rangers can email bukitlanjan2008@gmail.com or salkiah@doe.gov.my.

All Talk and No Action? Well its time for action so lets see if these BigWigs put actio where their words are. Since blogging is the latest news spreader I am sure all are reading in to this esp since now nearly all MP's & govt officials have their own blog sites even.

Anonymous said...

The last time I felt so heart broken was when I returned to Melaka and found the 'Hutan Rekreasi' being cleared for a new project called 'Taman Botani', where half the forest had already been cleared for the National Service Training Centre... (which might be abolished now???)
...and all the undergrowth of the remaining virgin forest cleared to plant orchids. For what purpose? Another money making project of course!!!

Now that I'm married and living here in PNK, in front of this beautiful lake. A lake that, in this busy city when unfortunately everyone is caught in a rat race, stands as a reminder that we are not alone, that we are part of a beautiful universe, that nature and life is worth much more than Money, that no architect in this world can design something more beautiful than this simple lake!

My husband and I were rushing out for an appointment one day, it was about dusk and the sun was setting. We were already very late for an appointment, yet as we left our unit and waited for the lift, we were blown away by the myriad of colours in the sky and it's reflection dancing on the lake! Although we were in such a rush, out hearts said 'STOP', and stop we did, to soak and bathe in every moment of this beauty. This is the very opportunity everyone will miss if we allow those developers to take away our lake!

My husband managed to snap a few photo's from his handphone. It remains as his screen saver. Is it all we're going to be left with?
I tell you, no picture can do justice to the actual experience of watching the colours in the sky dance on the shimmering waters of the lake.

Zorro, I did not have the opportunity to save my Hutan Rekreasi, yes MY 'Hutan Rekreasi', I will do anything and everything to help save MY Lake. Yes, MY LAKE!

"I am part of this universe and this universe is a part of me!"

Together let's SWIIIIISSSH the developer so hard, he forget's his name and finds himself back in the CHING Dynasty!!!

Anonymous said...

Ahhh��it was nice to see the name "Rozells" once again - if only he could coach the national football team, it might start going places again. Brings back a lot of memories of hard work, discipline and team-spirit � he was the best!

Feel bad for your condo situation but am out of the country and feel helpless with everything that is going on back home. I can�t complain since I cannot fix anything but I really appreciate all the efforts by all you bloggers back home � thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Anonymous said...

this is a serious matter. what are the legal rights of the residents over the lake? is it part of the landscaping for the residential development, e.g. the garden and the pool? if yes i am sure Zorro will have a good case.

i have an old property near KLCC and it appreciated a lot in price because of the view of KLCC. but now with the mushrooming luxurious high-rise condos armouring KLCC i lost the view and the price went down accordingly. does anyone have any sugggestions for recourse for me? i have been asking around but no luck. i was just told unless my S&P includes the sale of the view of property. i am afraid Zorro and gang might share the same fate. but i think they have better luck than me, at least their property might stand a good chance for appreciation if the mall is well-done and offers convenience. my story is a dead-end ;<

Anonymous said...

hi zorro, i am a fellow resident and i can understand your sentiment. i wish i could appreciate the lake the same way you do. as a mother of 3 schooling children i have always viewed the lake as a potential hazard. for one the lake and its surrounding is not properly done up. i forbid my children to go near the lake and i sure hope they listen to me.

i suspect the lake is an abandoned mining pool and i wonder how toxic the water is. the water seems dead. the few trees are just overgrown bushes and generally the ground (and maybe even the lake?)is a convenient rubbish dumpsite. when it was disclosed that the murder victim Canny Ong was driven to Ara Damansara area before she was killed i immediately wondered if she was brought to the lake area.

i don't suppose you have young children or teenagers under your care hence you don't see the potential danger associated with our less-than-regularly visited lake. i do agree with you i am not sure if the mall is a good idea. but given a choice between the current condition of the lake and a brightly lit mall, i would choose the latter for the safety of our community.

can i suggest you use your influence to convert the lake and its surrounding area into a proper family park? you will be our HERO!

zorro said...

Anon 9:10. I share your concern about how unsafe an open lake can be. The developer has left it in this state because they are waiting to drain it for their proposed development. Dr. Harinda, a committee member has done a study of the lake and has allayed any fears of the toxicity of the lake. It is not a stagnant pond/lake.As such there is fish in the pond as evidenced by people who fish on this lake. We want to preserve this lake as a park with par-course etc.
I do not agree with you that a brightly lit mall is safer than the presence of the lake. Wkith more "traffic" like in most commercial complexes, the curse of snatch-thefts become a possibility and in broad daylight. Which is safer, less traffic or more traffic? No I have no kids with me as my three grand children are in the Bahamas, but I am always concerned about the children in this condo. The move to save the lake is not my idea alone. It is a collective effort of residents who want some semblance of living in a good environment. Everyone is a hero if we succeed.
Tomorrow morning at 9am, there will be a drawing event on "Save our Lake"...I hope you will bring your three kids to the function room with their drawing equipment. I have 30 McDonald goody bags to give away. I will be great if I can meet you tomorrow. And thanks for visiting my blog. God bless. Hope to see you tomorrow with your kids.

Anonymous said...

To that fella (donplaypuks) mentioning harassment...*sarcastic applause*. You're just what this country needs.If this case is manageable and there are so many ways to go about it,what's the point of harassment then? Blogging about an issue is one thing,but suggesting harassment shows a despicable streak...a fairly large strip next to that yellow line running down your back

Anonymous said...

hi bernard,

i'm one of the owner @ PNK, but currently i'm working in jakarta...
just to let you know, that i'm totally on your side....


let me know if i can do anything..

yuan.wt@gmail.com