Around 180 Taman Desa residents gathered at the Taman Desa community hall this morning to object to the sale of the 0.86 acre land, which had initially been earmarked for a police station, for a new condominium project.

In a statement, the Taman Desa Residents Association (TDRA) cited a written parliamentary reply to Seputeh MP Teresa Kok last year which stated that Lot 54780 was originally set aside to build a new Brickfields police station.

TDRA chairman Wong Chan Choy said Taman Desa is facing over-development, and that the lot is surrounded by other high-density residential projects.

He added that there are four high-rise condominiums and a 40-storey project currently under construction in Taman Desa.

Citing data from the statistics department, Wong said the number of residents in Taman Desa will almost double to 70,000 in the next five years, compared with the 36,029 recorded in 2020.

“Currently, Taman Desa and its surrounding areas are only served by a single police station located by the roadside at Batu 3, Jalan Klang Lama, and a small police post in Taman Danau Desa,” he said.

“With the rapidly growing population, a new police station with complete facilities and sufficient personnel is necessary to ensure the safety of Taman Desa residents.”

Last December, Kok revealed that the home ministry and police had objected to the sale of the plot of land in question.

According to the DAP lawmaker, the home ministry had written to the Federal Land Commissioner last April to oppose the proposal for police to build the station on a different plot of land.

Last August, 16 residents’ groups in Taman Desa wrote to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to express their dissatisfaction with excessive development, saying it has led to traffic congestion and ruined the beauty of their surroundings.

They also urged Anwar to act against over-development in the area, including by stopping high-density commercial and residential developments in Taman Desa henceforth.