DESPITE the Selangor state government giving its assurance that the Petaling Jaya Dispersal Link (PJD Link) project is subject to conditions for approval pending on their evaluation, four residents of Petaling Jaya and Kinrara have filed for Judicial Review of the controversial project.
Caretaker Selangor menteri besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shaari had told business radio station BFM that if the proposed highway turns out to be similar to the scrapped Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (KIDEX) project, then it will not be approved by the Selangor State government.
The four plaintiffs are residents from Petaling Jaya and Kinrara whose actions are coordinated by a residents’ group known as Persatuan Petaling Jaya Lestari which has engaged a lawyer to file the judicial review as they are unconvinced with Amirudin’s answer which hinges on the big “IF”.
The residents’ group wants a commitment from both the Works Ministry and the Selangor State Government that the project would not proceed as they claim that it would affect local businesses and result in environmental degradation.
Moreover, the project could also trigger social displacement especially among senior citizens who may not be able to get a property within the same neighbourhood for the price that they are compensated.
The defendants named in the court documents are the Town and Country Planning director-general; Town and Country Planning Department (Selangor) director; the Selangor State Government; and the Malaysian Government.
David Yoong, a PJ resident close to the plaintiffs who has studied the new PJD Link proposal concluded that there is not much difference between it and the old KIDEX project.
“The only more critical difference now is that they have proposed the building of a toll plaza which would require the government to acquire land belonging to the Bukit Bintang Boys’ Secondary School which is located in Petaling Jaya,” Yoong told FocusM.
“Other schools like SJK(C) Chung Hwa Damansara, SMK Damansara Jaya and SK Sri Petaling will face ramps within close proximity of their school compounds.”
Additionally, Yoong claimed that another two schools will be affected, namely the SJK(T) Kinrara in Kinrara and SJK(C) Yak Chee in Puchong.”
As schools are pivotal to the education of young people in Malaysia. Yoong opined that the land belonging to schools – especially those with many years of history – should not be sacrificed for the sake of just erecting a tolled highway or a toll plaza.
“The general conducive environment for learning will also be badly affected,” he added.
Among the documents sought by the residents’ group currently are the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report; social impact assessment (SIA) report; traffic impact assessment (TIA) report; minutes of focused group discussion meetings organised by the social survey consultant acting for the highway developer; terms and conditions of concessionaire agreement for the privatised tolled highway; and and the final design and alignment details of the proposed highway.
The group is also asking for donations to help defray the litigation costs involved. – July 22, 2023
