AN MCA leader said Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari should take the objections by Petaling Jaya residents against the Petaling Jaya Dispersal Link (PJD Link) elevated highway project more seriously.
Party vice president Datuk Lawrence Low said following the silent demonstration by a group of residents at a forum attended by Amirudin yesterday (Feb 22), the Selangor state government also cannot close its eyes and turn a deaf ear.
“The move by Residents Against PJD Link is said to have arisen due to mounting frustration against Amirudin’s non-response to their many objection letters and four memorandums regarding the project,” Low, who is also the Selangor MCA state liaison committee chairman, said in a statement on Friday (Feb 23).
“The question thus arises: What is the state government’s real stance when Amirudin said the project would be revived if it met certain ‘requirements’, despite cancelling it before the Selangor state election last August?”
Low said it is only apt that Amirudin should have responded to the matter immediately to ease the residents’ concerns when the project’s developer was reported to have sent a new project proposal paper.
“To be fair to both developers and residents, the state government should listen and take into account the views of both parties before finalising its position and resolving the issue once and for all,” he added.
On Jan 27, Selayang MP William Leong said he is willing to be a go-between in the dispute between residents and the project’s developer.
Leong said that as a Selayang resident, he will do his best to uphold the interests of the residents, adding that he understood the people’s frustration on the possible resurrection of the proposed PJD Link.
Last year, Amirudin said the Pakatan Harapan state government decided to scrap the PJD Link project.
He said the impact assessment reports submitted by the developer were not satisfactory and did not meet certain conditions set by the state government, particularly its social impact assessment report.
The PJD Link Expressway would have connected the north and south of Petaling Jaya, passing through Petaling Jaya Utara, Bandar Utama, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Petaling Jaya city centre, Taman Dato’ Harun, Taman Medan Baru, Taman Sri Manja, Bandar Kinrara and Bukit Jalil Technology Park.
The proposal for the highway’s construction was approved in principle by the cabinet in Nov 2017.
In Sept 2020, the state government also approved the project in principle, subject to receipt of the impact assessment reports. – Feb 23, 2024
Main pic credit: The Star
