by ALIFAH ZAINUDDIN

FEDERAL Territories (FT) Minister Khalid Abdul Samad (picture) has listed procedural reforms on Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s (DBKL) land procurements as one of the ministry’s key achievements in 2019.

The dubious land contracts, which involved the purchase of prime lands by developers at low prices inked since 2012, has seen the recovery of RM481 million worth of public funds after 14 agreements were terminated, 15 renegotiated and five litigated before reaching out-of-court settlements.

This was in addition to some RM210 million saved from the other 43 deals that received the go-ahead.

Former FT Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, who was in charge then, has denied any involvement in the land sales. Tengku Adnan has admitted to being questioned by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission 12 times since the matter was brought to the public’s attention.

“This is one of the main successes of the ministry this year. Not only did we save millions of ringgit from the renegotiated deals, but we have also put in place mechanisms to make procurements more transparent by tightening procedures on matters involving land owned by the city hall,” Khalid said at a press conference on the ministry’s achievements for the year in Putrajaya yesterday.

Khalid had also listed the ministry’s effort to gazette the Kuala Lumpur (KL) 2040 Master Plan as an achievement albeit still underway.

The structure plan is to guide KL’s development over the next 20 years to ensure there is enough land to support long-term population and economic growth, while maintaining a good living environment, Khalid said. Although plans were made under the previous administration, it was not gazetted.

“The 2040 plan will look at various issues such as traffic management, smart city, safety, cleanliness, well-planned public transport system and sufficient open spaces in the city,” Khalid said.

The FT Ministry, which oversees eight different agencies, including DBKL and Putrajaya Corp, also takes pride in its achievement of creating an avenue for corporations to contribute to the development of low-cost flats via corporate social responsibility programmes.

The programme has since seen seven developers “adopting” various People’s Housing Projects and contributing to building repair works, landscaping and art programmes.

Meanwhile, on the proposed development for Kampung Baru, Khalid said he could only offer new details once feedback is received, expected in the middle of next year.

“If we can successfully develop Kampung Baru, it will be an achievement we can be proud of, but I do not consider that as part of my key performance index,” he said.