DBKL faces legal fight over Medan Imbi land

KUALA LUMPUR (May 29): City Hall (DBKL) is facing a legal battle over the construction of a six-storey building (pictured)  on two plots of Medan Imbi land in Bukit Bintang.

Federal Territories Minister Khalid Abdul Samad told The Star that the building owner had filed court papers, claiming they “have some rights to the land as they were promised by the previous administration that they could rent the place, and so they went ahead and built the structures on the land based on that promise.”

* Medan Imbi building owner identified

“And they also have the DO [development order], so they are saying that there was a commitment [given by the previous Federal Territories minister].

“A lot of things should not have happened back then, but they did, and I do not have a textbook reply for these situations because not everything was done by the book,’’ Khalid told the English-language daily.

The minister also explained that “the building owner was suing for the right to buy the land”.

“I have inherited a lot of this type of cases, where deals were lopsided and not right.

Unfortunately, when people take the legal route to resolve the matter, we have to see that through,’’ Khalid added.

It was reported early this year that the building’s owner had obtained necessary approvals from DBKL during the previous administration to build the structures on two plots of land belonging to the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur Lands and Mines Office (PTG) without the land owner's permission.

There were suggestions about the building owner buying the two plots of land where the building stands as a solution when the “controversial” nature of the whole process was exposed. 

But city lawmakers were not happy about the offer, saying it “would set a bad precedent”.

DAP chairman Tan Kok Wai was reported saying back then that: “I don't think the minister's decision [in giving the option] is right, to let the owner of the building to buy over the land, which is supposed to be a park.”

A public survey conducted by DBKL in March concluded that many “wanted to see the land returned to the community as it was previously a community playground”.

A source also told The Star “that the Medan Imbi building owner was buying up land in the surrounding area and already owned several properties”.