STAKEHOLDERS must be consulted on the redevelopment plans for Kuala Lumpur Sentral Station (KL Sentral), which are slated to be executed at the end of the year, resident groups said.
They are concerned that the influx of traffic, lack of public parking space, and inadequate infrastructure will have an effect on the Brickfields, which is a cultural, historical, and educational hub.
Brickfields also houses Hindu and Buddhist temples, churches and a mosque. It is known as Little India and home to many Indian shops and homes.
It was announced that the Transport Ministry will work with developer Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd (MRCB) on a RM1 billion plan to redevelop KL Sentral.
Brickfields Rukun Tetangga chairman SKK Naidu said the residents must be consulted on the project.
“We don’t want to see it (Brickfields) getting messed up again. If MRCB is going to redevelop KL Sentral, it must look at the surrounding areas and include Brickfields in its master plan.
“They must study the traffic, social, and environmental impacts. It will be a nightmare if issues are not addressed,” he told The Vibes.
Last week, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the cabinet had approved the plan to overhaul KL Sentral through the public-private partnership.
“We are expecting the physical project to start by year-end. Discussions with the Public-Private Partnership Unit (Ukas) under the Prime Minister’s Department are under way,” he said.
As KL Sentral had experienced rapid growth over the past 20 years, Loke said it was time it was redeveloped to address congestion in the area.
Naidu said the residents were shocked when they heard that KL Sentral was to be redeveloped.
He said the traffic dispersal studies that were conducted in the past were a failure.
“Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) came up with the Brickfields one-way system that pushed traffic into Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad where 11 schools are located. That messed up Brickfields," he said.
"Now the minister (Loke) is saying that KL Sentral is to be redeveloped. What we want to know is the traffic impact as KL Sentral is located in Jalan Tun Sambanthan. There is already a high volume of traffic coming into Brickfields from the Federal Highway and Jalan Bangsar."
Naidu said the residents had proposed for MRCB to build a highway directly from Federal Highway to KL Sentral to reduce congestion in Little India but the proposal was ignored.
He said parking was another problem as most of the parking space in Brickfields were taken up all day by people working in the area.
“So there is no parking left for people who go to Brickfields to shop and run errands. Also, the parking rates in KL Sentral and other areas are expensive. There should be adequate parking facilities for those visiting Brickfields.
“Even the DBKL multi-storey car park is privatised. We believe it is offering monthly parking passes to workers in the area."
He said the residents want a meeting with Loke to discuss the redevelopment plans.
Why weren't residents consulted?
Save Kuala Lumpur chairman Datuk M. Ali said the local commuities were blindsided by news of the project.
“The people of Brickfields, Taman Seputeh, Bangsar, and the surrounding areas are going to be affected by the project. It is going to have a severe effect on the traffic flow. During peak hours the roads will be severely choked.
“How are Loke and the others going to resolve the traffic situation? They have not shared any information about whether any studies were conducted.”
He said the government should have consulted the stakeholders for feedback before embarking on the project.
“We are not saying no to the redevelopment, but we want to hear them out first."
In 1994, the government awarded a contract to MRCB to transform the old railway marshalling yard into a modern transit hub.
The city’s main intercity railway station was opened on April 16, 2001.
According to the KL Sentral website, the hub is spread over 29ha of land about1.5km from the central business district. It is bordered by Jalan Travers, Jalan Damansara, and Jalan Tun Sambanthan, and
Its infrastructure supports six rail networks,: the KLIA Express Rail Link, KLIA Transit, Rapid KL, KTM Komuter, KTM Intercity, and KL Monorail Services.
It is integrated with corporate office towers and business suites, international hotels, luxury condominiums, retail malls, and serviced apartments. – May 19, 2024.
