Only 0.6 acres of the 5.5 acres proposed for the new SRJK (C) Damansara - said to be completed within eight months - is "usable" land, according to DAP publicity secretary Ronnie Liu.

Liu told malaysiakini today that on checking the plot of land in Tropicana, he found that only 11 percent of the land allocated was usable and the rest not suitable for a school's location.

"The whole place is actually a big ravine. On top of that, there is a big reservoir, roads and high tension wires surrounding the plot of land.

"Common sense will tell you that there needs to be at least 100 metres between the proposed school and these three dangers as a form of a safety barrier," he said.

Liu noted that any proposed building can be only built on the 0.6 acre plot as the ravine was just wasteland.

Two Chinese newspapers, the Nanyang Siang Pau and the Sin Chew Jit Poh had reported that construction of the proposed new SRJK(C) Damansara in Tropicana - under the yet to be passed Eighth Malaysian Plan - had been brought forward and would start in two weeks' time.

Liu, who is also the adviser to the action committee to preserve the old school, said he was alerted to the new finding by interested parties who had gone to take a look at the proposed plot today.

"I will be bringing in professional surveyors today to give an expert opinion on the land," he added.

From bigger to smaller

Liu said if the usable land is only 0.6 acres, it did not make sense for the SRJK (C) Damansara students to move to a smaller school.

"The reason they are building a new school is so that we can have a bigger school, not a smaller school. We might as well retain the old school which is bigger, at 0.8 acres," said Liu.

The students of SRJK (C) Damansara were directed to move to SRJK (C) Puay Chai (2) early this year. The ministry of education sealed the school, citing the environment as not conducive due to over congestion and pollution from the Sprint highway nearby.

As of today, the majority of 1,400 students have moved but 67 pupils have remained behind and are adamant to stay on at the 70-year-old school.

Liu also revealed that that the 0.8 acre site on which the old SRJK(C) Damansara was sited was currently valued at RM20 million.

"If you build a commercial building like upmarket condominium on that land, one can easily make RM360 million," said Liu.