Taman Medan assemblyperson Syamsul Firdaus Mohamed Supri today said he and several other Selangor state representatives will raise the development of the Petaling Jaya Dispersal Elevated Highway (PJD Link) during the state assembly sitting next week.
Syamsul Firdaus maintained that he was against the development of the proposed elevated highway, which spans 34.3km from the NKVE Damansara Toll to Bukit Jalil.
“I don’t know if it is for the benefit of the people or the contractor, or anyone related to the PJD Link proposal.
“I know the issue will be discussed in the next state representative council, which will be held next week.
“Several state legislators and me, including Rajiv Rishyakaran (Bukit Gasing), Jamaliah Jamaluddin (Bandar Utama), and Lim Yi Wei (Kampung Tunku) will bring it up together in our next meeting,” he told reporters today.
He said this during a press conference following a peaceful protest against the proposed highway in Bandar Utama this morning.
A spokesperson from the protest organisation committee told Malaysiakini that around 80 protestors came to support the movement.
Old wine in new bottle?
It remains a concern that the proposed PJD Link highway is a revived version of the previously scrapped Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex) highway project.
The Kidex project was intended to have been a 90 percent elevated expressway and was estimated to cost RM2.42 billion.
It commenced in 2013 but was shut down in 2015 soon after Azmin Ali replaced Abdul Khalid Ibrahim as the menteri besar.
PJD Link was among three new highways that were approved in May this year to address congestion around Klang Valley, with the other two being the Bangi-Putrajaya Expressway (BPE) and the Kuala Lumpur northern dispersal expressway (KL Node).
A statement by the Works Ministry on July 5 stated that the cabinet has already approved the PJD Link project on Nov 12, 2017. The approval is, however, subject to further negotiations.
The Coalition Against PJD Link, led by Sheikh Moqhtar, earlier this week submitted a memorandum to the Pakatan Harapan presidential council earlier this week opposing the highway’s development.
The group also requested a meeting with the political bloc’s top decision-making body so they can discuss the concerns and objections against PJD Link by the people of Petaling Jaya.
Meanwhile, Sungai Buloh MP R Sivarasa who was in attendance claimed on behalf of Harapan Selangor that it rejects the proposed highway.
“The position of Harapan Selangor remains very clear, black and white statement, that we reject any form of highway that brings back the Kidex highway,” he said.
A Petaling Jaya resident himself, Sivarasa rejected having an elevated highway driving through central residential areas.
“The areas it (the highway) is going through have been there for 50 years.
“Highways should only be used to connect cities or around a city, not drive through mature central residential areas which are unsustainable, disruptive and, will create irreparable damage to residents’ lifestyle,” he said. - Mkini
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