NEWLY elected Paya Jaras assemblyman Ab Halim Tamuri has urged the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) to get the developer to consider not cutting down the trees in Bukit Rahman Putra (BRP), Sungai Buloh, Selangor, until an amicable solution to the problem is reached with the residents.

“We hope MPS will get the developer to consider not proceeding with this action (felling the trees).

“We have to relook at this problem and solve it the best way possible,” the PAS assemblyman said during a site visit at the recreational field where the trees are located.

On Tuesday, BRP residents announced that they have decided to take legal action against MPS over a proposal to expand a service road, which will encroach on a football field.

They said this was their last resort as negotiations with the authorities, developer and MPS failed to yield any results.

BRP residents’ representative Keng Pui Kang said the residents last week decided to seek legal representation.

The residents have been strongly opposing plans by a developer to widen a 6m road to 12m on Jalan BRP7/2 in their neighbourhood, which runs adjacent to the field and whose widening will take up green space.

The residents claimed that 59 trees on the field have been marked to be cut down.

Halim said he had heard the views of the residents, and their argument did have merit.

“We want to have a meeting with MPS and residents to see what we can do and resolve this issue,” he said.

Another BRP residents’ representative, Lam Kin Tong, said they had given all the details and documents to Halim and hoped he could solve the problem.

“We believe there is miscommunication between the residents, MPS and parents of children studying in SMK Bandar Rahman Putra,” said Lam.

“We want to see how fast he (Halim) can arrange a meeting with all the relevant agencies, so that we can move forward.”

When asked if contractors would fell the trees, Lam said they would protect every “inch” of the field.

“If they plan to cut down the trees, then we climb up and sit on them. Let them fell the tree with us (on it),” he said.

“If they provoke us, then we will defend ourselves. The residents are here daily looking out for any encroachment.”

Yesterday, another BRP residents’ representative, A. Venugopal, lodged a report at the Sungai Buloh police station about the contractors going to the field to cut down the trees.

The football field encompasses basketball and sepak takraw courts, walkways and jogging tracks.

Residents of BRP, Matang Pagar, Villa Putera, Villa Puteri, Amansari, Sri Indah, Sri Putra and Kuang use the field.

A petition was also signed by 537 residents and field users, which was submitted to the MPS president and Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari in 2019. – August 25, 2023.