PETALING JAYA – There is no reason for the government to forcefully acquire land and proceed with the development of the controversial Petaling Jaya Dispersal (PJD) Link highway if it receives fierce public ire.
Jay Jay Denis, special officer to Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, said if the developer fails its impact assessment surveys, the state government will reject its proposal.
While veto power lies in the hands of the federal government, he added that the development will not be forced through if residents openly disagree with it.
“We do not want a case where state land is forcefully acquired,” he told The Vibes yesterday.
Considering how PJ residents objected to (the proposal), I do not see any reason for forceful acquisition of state land.”
While highway development is under the purview of the federal government, he said, land acquisition matters involve the state government.
If the state government is against the project, it is up to the federal administration to forcefully acquire the land needed for the highway project.
He said allowing the developers to conduct surveys and impact assessments is a part of the government’s obligations.
Nonetheless, he reiterated that the state government has not given any approval for the developers to proceed.
When asked why the government would not simply call off the development following numerous objections, Denis said: “We (the state government) cannot say ‘we are against development’, we want our economy to grow.”
“It is a part of the engagement process. If the process is ultimately exhausted, democracy prevails. If a large number of PJ residents say ‘we do not want this’, it likely will not happen.”
During the town hall session, Stakeholders Cum Residents Against PJD Link chairman David Yoong reiterated the proposed development’s limitations, which contradict its supposed benefits.
The engineer debunked PJD Link’s claims of first- and last-mile connectivity, as he showed its route bypasses certain traffic hotspots – beating its purpose.
He added that the project would be toll-centric, and will not alleviate traffic congestion.
Meanwhile, traffic consultant Rosli Azad Khan suggested that the government declassify the project’s concession agreement so that people can understand the procedures behind the development.
He added that the government must refrain from allowing concessionaires to continue constructing toll plazas if it wishes to fulfil its aim of abolishing toll rates.
Certified valuer and real estate agent James Tan said the property owners will take big losses if the highway project commences.
He predicted that properties adjacent to PJD Link will suffer a market value reduction of up to 40%, while there will be a 20% reduction in tenancy rates.
Previously, The Vibes reported that disgruntled residents had taken matters into their own hands and created an independent survey to obtain a more balanced perspective on PJ residents and frequenters’ opinion on the PJD Link.
Some residents said that their qualms may lead to incumbent state authorities losing their votes in the upcoming elections.
In July last year, the Works Ministry said the approval given to the PJD Link project was subject to further negotiations.
The project was approved in principle by the cabinet on November 12, 2017 and a concession agreement was signed on April 5, 2020. The Selangor government also approved the project in principle on September 3, 2020.
However, in September 2021, Selangor Pakatan Harapan leaders, which included Amirudin, issued a joint statement that they were against any revival of the Kidex highway or any similar project. – The Vibes, March 19, 2023
