Mayor of Kuala Lumpur wants city to remain green

KUALA LUMPUR (May 29): Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Phesal Talib (pictured, right) today urged property developers to consider environmental conservation as integral to their development plans.

“All developers must follow strictly environmental considerations in Kuala Lumpur. We are very serious about Kuala Lumpur [remaining] up to 30% [green] by planting more trees and providing more green areas for people to enjoy,” said Ahmad Phesal during his keynote address at the 66th Fiabci World Congress at One World Hotel in Bandar Utama, Selangor.

He added that environmental conservation was essential to making Kuala Lumpur an ideal place to live, work and play.

Fiabci is the International Real Estate Federation and the congress runs until May 31. There are 21 sessions on various subjects featuring local and international speakers.

Ahmad Phesal acknowledged that traffic congestion remains a crucial issue in Kuala Lumpur and other cities in Malaysia. He hopes the completion of the mass rapid transit lines and its associated projects will lead to a reduction in car use, accidents and chronic illnesses caused by air pollution.

“The comprehensive rail transit system such as light rapid transit, express rail link, and KTM Komuter will soon be complemented by the MRT Line 1, the 51km Sungai Buloh-Kajang Line that is under construction, [of which the first phase] is expected to be operational by the end of 2016.

“This [will be] followed by MRT Line 2 and Sungai Buloh-Serdang-Putrajaya Line of 69.5km. We are targeting a wider public transportation network and will ensure that all areas are connected and reachable,” he said.

Fiabci world president Robyn Waters (pictured, left) said the aim of the Fiabci World Congress was to introduce its “innovative goals heading into the future in the real estate industry”.

Among those who will be speaking at the congress include partner of Pretam Singh, Nor and Co Malaysia Datuk Pretam Singh Darshan Singh; chairman of Springfield Land Corp Australia Maha Sinnathamby; director of Professional Standards, RICS and chairman of the Trustees, International Property Measurement Standards Coalition (IMPS), Ken Creighton; vice-president of marketing and international affairs for the Building Owners and Managers Association International, Lisa Prats; and president of CLGE and secretary general of IPMS Coalition, Jean-Yves Pirlot.

The congress will culminate in the Fiabci World Prix d’Excellence Awards gala night on May 30, which will be attended by Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir.