Kondo Batu Caves - Kohilan Pillay tertidur semasa mesyuarat berlangsung dulu...

Senator A Kohilan Pillay menjelaskan, beliau sama sekali tidak terlibat dengan kelulusan projek kondominium kontroversi 29 tingkat di Batu Caves walaupun bertindak sebagai ahli majlis berkaitan ketika keputusan itu dibuat.

Menafikan dakwaan Exco Selangor Ronnie Liu, pengerusi Gerakan Selangor itu berkata, kelulusan terhadap projek yang dipertikaikan itu dikeluarkan oleh Bahagian Unit Setempat (OSC), Majlis Perbandaran Selayang (MPS).

"Saya hanya ahli majlis, bukan saya yang memberi kelulusan. OSC dalam majlis yang beri kelulusan, saya tidak terlibat. Kalau dia (Ronnie) nak cakap, dengan faktalah... Banyak fakta diputar belit.

"Tidak ada tanda (saya) beri persetujuan. Saya sudah periksa fail, saya tidak terlibat memberi kelulusan," katanya yang juga timbalan menteri luar negeri.

Berdasarkan portal MPS, OSC berfungsi menerima permohonan kelulusan pelan bangunan, pelan kerja tanah dan kebenaran merancang untuk kelulusan MPS.

Kohilan berkhidmat sebagai ahli majlis selama 11 tahun daripada 1997 hingga 2008.

'Apa peranan ahli majlis era Pakatan?'

Liu pada 24 Oktober dilapor mendakwa Kohilan dan ahli parlimen Hulu Selangor P Kamalanathan antara individu yang bertanggungjawab meluluskan cadangan projek itu.

Kamalanathan juga kelmarin menafikan dakwaan sama dan membuat laporan polis berhubung perkara itu manakala Kohilan pula membuat laporannya di Balai Polis Batu Caves petang semalam.

Bercakap kepada Malaysiakini petang semalam, Kohilan berkata beliau hanya sedar namanya dan Kamalanathan dikaitkan dengan kelulusan itu selepas dibangkitkan oleh pihak kuil di Batu Caves baru-baru ini.

Justeru, beliau menyifatkan dakwaan Liu sebagai “tiada fakta” dan hanya “tuduhan membuta tuli”.

“Tengok siapa yang buat (beri kelulusan). Jangan main agak-agak sahaja. Ini ada agenda politik," katanya lagi.

Sementara itu, sekalipun mengakui kelulusan itu dibuat sewaktu BN memerintah Selangor, Kohilan mempersoal peranan ahli majlis baru pada era Pakatan.

"Apakah mereka (kerajaan Pakatan) tidak memantau langsung atau tak tahu mengenai perkara ini... Apa peranan ahli majlis selepas itu (kerajaan Pakatan memerintah)," soalnya.-malaysiakini

Samy Vellu luluskan projek kondo Batu Caves...

Bekas Presiden MIC, Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu individu yang bertanggungjawab meluluskan Kondominium Batu Caves sekaligus menepis kontroversi Umno BN mengatakan kononnya pembinaan projek itu diluluskan Kerajaan Selangor sekarang.

Mendedahkannya pada ceramah Merdeka Rakyat di sini malam tadi, Ketua Umum KEADILAN, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim berkata, pembinaan dua blok kondominium 29 tingkat berhampiran Kuil Sri Subramaniar Swamy itu mendapat kelulusan MIC dan Umno pada 2007.

Beliau menempelak pemimpin MIC kerana menipu rakyat India, malah meletak kesalahan ke atas Kerajaan Selangor.

Ia ekoran tindakan Samy berdemonstrasi bersama masyarakat India pada 26 Oktober lalu kononnya membantah pembinaan kondominium tersebut.

“Samy Vellu buat tunjuk perasaan, padahal dia yang luluskan projek pada 2007, ingat Tuhan dia tidak tahu? Sudahlah tipu rakyat, Tuhan pun dia nak tipu,” kata Ketua Pembangkang.

“Lepas itu mereka cabar Menteri Besar hentikan pembinaan, saya beritahu Khalid (Ibrahim), kita jangan ikut kata mereka dulu, kita siasat, cari siapa yang luluskan dan kita dakwa orang yang bertanggungjawab,” tegasnya disambut tepukan gemuruh lebih 5,000 penduduk Kuala Langat.

Sebelum ini, Exco Selangor, Dr Xavier Jayakumar menjelaskan, kelulusan pembinaan kondominium itu dikeluarkan oleh pihak majlis pada 31 Mei 2008 manakala ahli majlis baru di bawah Pakatan mengangkat sumpah pada 5 Julai 2008.

“MIC dah dapat duit hasil penjualan tanah kuil dan luluskan projek yang menyalahi peraturan alam sekitar dengan ketinggian 29 tingkat, sekarang nak lepaskan diri tuduh kita pula, nak suruh kita bayar. Kepada rakyat India, usahlah sokong lagi pemimpin penipu seperti ini,” kata Anwar.
Semalam di Parlimen, Khalid mengumumkan penubuhan pasukan petugas bebas untuk menyiasat isu berkaitan pembinaan kondominium tersebut.

“Kami mahu tunjukkan kepada rakyat bahawa kami telus membuat keputusan, jadi kami akan menubuhkan jawatankuasa bertindak khas yang akan diketuai seorang bekas hakim,” katanya.- keadilandaily

 

 Kohilan has forgotten the terms "planning permission"meant, coz he is concentrating on foreign policy matters...

In early February, 2006, I was at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport awaiting the arrival of passengers on Flight MH9042 from Mauritius. Among them was a delegation from the Selayang Municipal Council which included nine councillors, the president, the secretary and his wife, two officials and four businessmen who had contracts with the council. 

They had also dropped by South African cities, among others, to study how public toilets are maintained and kept clean. I had then asked: "How did contractors become part of an official delegation? Don't the rules require councillors to keep at arm's length, dealings with suppliers of goods and services?"

Subsequently, I wrote outlining their programme in both the countries and asked what they had learnt when they were out shopping and sight-seeing all the time. As usual, the silence was deafening.

All these memories came back last week as I read about the same council and the proposed development around Batu Caves. Both sides – the present and past administrations – have started pointing fingers and let it be stated that it is not this writer's intention to take sides but put the record straight. The remarks made by some of the past councillors who approved the development are so ludicrous that they have to be taken with more than a pinch of salt.

Former councillor and current Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk A. Kohillan Pillay who was one of those who went on the toilet inspection trip said what had been approved in 2007 was only a "planning permit" which did not specify the number of storeys.

May be, after all these years he has forgotten terms like "planning permission"; "development order" and other terminology because he is concentrating on foreign policy matters and more travelling. Thus, we shall not burden him compelling him to read the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 in its entirety. However, he should not overlook the central concept – the definition of what amounts to development.

"Development" means the carrying out of building, engineering, mining or other operations in, on, over or under land, or the making of any material change in the use of any building or land. Technically, if you want to build a permanent garage over your driveway, you have to get planning permission or approval.

If "planning permit" was issued, then it would have specified what could be built because the applicant has to submit the proposed plans to be deliberated by the planning department of the council after which they are presented to the council for approval.

You can't submit plans for a bungalow and then build a condominium. That's because the council takes into consideration whether existing infrastructure like roads, drains, power, etc would be able to support the development. So to say that it "did not specify the number of storeys" is crass, obtuse and ridiculous. It insults the intelligence of all right-thinking people.

There are no two ways about this matter. Did the council approve the plans and issue a development order? Did the council seek the views of owners of neighbouring property as required by the Act? Because of the sensitivity of its proximity to a place of worship, was there a public hearing?

These questions have to be answered by the council and its councillors who took part in the approval process. They cannot run away from responsibility by giving all kinds of excuses. In the meantime, in the interest of good governance, the state government should order the council to make available all minutes and other related documents so that Malaysians can see for themselves how the decisions were made.- R. Nadeswaran@citizen-nade,thesundaily
 

 Kohilan washes his hands off Batu Caves condo...

Deputy Foreign Minister A Kohilan Pillay(right) has contended that he was not involved in the approval of a controversial 29-storey condominium near the Batu Caves temple although he was a local councillor when the decision was made.

Denying the allegation by Selangor exco Ronnie Liu, the senator claimed that the approval was given by the One Stop Centre (OSC) of Selayang Municipal council (MPS).

"I was only a councillor. It was not me who gave the approval. It was the OSC in the council that gave the approval. I was not involved. If he (Liu) wants to accuse, (he should provide) the facts...

"Many facts have been spun. There was nothing to show (that I) gave the approval. I have checked the files. I was not involved in giving the approval," he told Malaysiakini yesterday.

According to the MPS official website, the function of OSC is to receive and process applications of building plans, land work plans and project planning for the approval of the local council.

Kohilan was a councillor in MPS for 11 years, serving from 1997 to 2008.

The construction of a massive condominium near the iconic Subramaniar Temple in Batu Caves came under the spotlight after the temple committee, backed by MIC top guns including former president S Samy Vellu, led a protest against the Selangor government last week.

However, Liu later revealed documents to show that BN had approved the tower block - considered by many as an eyesore - when it controlled Selangor in 2007.

Last Wednesday, Liu reportedly alleged that Kohilan and Hulu Selangor MP P Kamalanathan were among those responsible for approving the project.

However, Kamalanathan denied the accusation yesterday and lodged a police report on the matter. Kohilan has also lodged a similar report last night at the Batu Caves police station.

About-turn by Kohilan

Kohilan told Malaysiakini that he found out that he and Kamalanathan were linked to the condo approval after this was raised by the temple committee recently.

He described the allegation as "baseless" and "reckless".

"See who actually made (the decision in approving the project). Don't simply guess. This (allegation) smells of a political agenda."

While Kohilan conceded that the approval for the project was given during the BN administration - an about-turn from his allegation last Friday - he nevertheless ticked off the current councillors appointed by the Pakatan government.

"Did they monitor it (the project) or are they not aware of the issue... What have the councillors been doing (after Pakatan took over Selangor)?" he asked.-malaysiakini

 Bisikan di sana sini...

Tangling - hahaha Kohilan,When u sit on the council , if u did not register yr protest against the project , it means u approved it. Tht is the reality lah.

Rakyat Malaysia - Kohilan did you monitor the project last time when you were councillors? Are you not aware? What are you doing back then? What have Kohilan being doing last time when it was approved by BN? Sleeping on the job right? Did BN pay you any under table money to keep quiet? So, you are inept and irresponsible and cunning like any BN people.

Rakyat Malaysia - What have the BN councillors doing when BN approve the project? Keep quiet only right? Not making a fuss about it. Now want to blame PK councilors, pulak? Nobody in BN state councillors make a fuss when BN approve the project. So, who is to blame? Who is fooling with the people?

yap cs - If Kohilan is not involved in the approval process of projects involving the Batu Caves condo, then what is his function as a Indian councillor? Sit there and lay eggs?

Speechless - Oh come on, Kolilan. If you were clueless about this project when you were councillor for 11 years, it speaks a lot about you! Stop blaming others.

Multi Racial - Assuming Kohilan was sleeping and do not know what going on in the local council so much so this project got approve without his knowledge, why he did not protest after knowing about it then? Don't tell me he was not aware until now? If that is true, then he is a useless politician. Better to vote someone else in future.

 

 cheers.