KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 13): Seputeh MP Teresa Kok has urged the government to suspend registration and any earthworks for the Bandar Madani Bukit Jalil housing project pending the completion of planning studies.

The DAP lawmaker claimed that the 65-acre township, which is located in her constituency, would worsen congestion and strain public amenities. Existing and approved developments were already putting pressure on infrastructure, she said.

“Why does the government not wait until DBKL (Kuala Lumpur City Hall) studies are completed before approving Bandar Madani Bukit Jalil?” she asked in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday. She was referring to DBKL’s review of the Kuala Lumpur Local Plan 2040 and a separate study on development controls for Bukit Jalil.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced during the tabling of Budget 2027 on Oct 9 that the township would provide housing and amenities, including a vertical school. He said registration for Phase 1, comprising 17,000 units, would open on Oct 12.

PR1MA Corp Malaysia’s website lists Bandar Madani Bukit Jalil as open for registration, although its property listing does not display a selling price. PRIMA is the primary developer behind the Bandar Madani Bukit Jalil township.

On Tuesday, Kok said she and residents’ associations received detailed information about the proposed development during engagement sessions conducted by its social impact assessment consultant in July. Almost all residents’ representatives who attended the sessions opposed the proposed 17,000-unit development, she said.

More than 500 residents subsequently joined a protest on September 16, including representatives from neighbouring Taman Puncak Jalil and Bandar Kinrara, said the veteran lawmaker.

“This Bandar Madani project will place very serious pressure on traffic, infrastructure, public amenities and the quality of life of residents in the surrounding areas,” she said. Including housing under construction and other approved projects, she estimated that the number of homes in the area would reach 95,389 by 2031, even without Bandar Madani Bukit Jalil.

Kok also challenged the project’s affordability selling point as he pointed out that the layout plan presented during the engagement sessions earlier led to otherwise.

According to her, 83.53% of the proposed homes would be PR1MA units priced between RM390,000 and RM480,000 while 6.18% would be under the civil servants’ housing programme, PPAM, at RM360,000. Only 1,750 units, or 10.29% of the total, would be Rumah Madani homes priced at RM200,000, she said.

“The developer is using the Madani name to maximise profits,” Kok alleged.

The detailed housing mix and prices she cited were not disclosed in PR1MA’s Oct 10 statement on the development. PR1MA, a housing agency under the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, only said in that statement that the township would include a vertical school, health clinic, parks, recreational facilities and a Madani hub.

Kok urged Anwar, Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming, and senior government officials to visit the area and consider residents’ concerns before allowing the project to proceed. She called for registration and any earthworks to be deferred until DBKL’s local plan review and the Bukit Jalil development control study were completed.