The construction of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) should take into account its social impact and not bring trouble to the people, the Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah said today.
According to a statement by the Selangor Royal Office on Facebook, the sultan said this after being briefed regarding the ECRL alignment in Selangor by Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari today.
"His Majesty decreed his advice that the ECRL project should not cause trouble to the people and take account of its social impact to traditional and Orang Asli villages; impact to the environment such as forest reserves, catchment areas, and being placed far from raw water supplies such as dams; and not pass through risky areas at the quartz ridge.
"His Majesty wants every development project in Selangor to always account for the aforementioned problems to ensure the harmony of the people in the future," the statement read.
When the ECRL was first proposed under the BN administration, its original alignment would pass through Kelantan, Terengganu, and Pahang before entering Selangor from the north through Gombak and making its way to Serendah and Port Klang.
The Pakatan Harapan government altered the alignment so that it wouldn't go through Bentong and Gombak as initially planned, but instead run south to Kuala Klawang in Negeri Sembilan before entering Selangor.
It also claimed to have saved RM21.5 billion by renegotiating the project, bringing the costs down from RM65.5 billion to RM44 billion.
After Perikatan Nasional took over, it mooted reverting the ECRL to its original alignment.
Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong said the original alignment would better serve population and logistical needs. For example, passing through Gombak would allow integration with KTM and LRT lines.
The Selangor government had opposed the proposal to revert the alignment to the original one, saying that the route passed through environmentally sensitive areas such as the Klang Gates Quartz Ridge in Gombak, Batu Dam, Templar Forest Reserve and Forest Park, and water catchment areas. - Mkini
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