A resident showing the proposed PJD Link route which could cut through his neighbourhood in Damansara Jaya. -Filepic
Selangor government’s apparent backtracking over the Petaling Jaya Dispersal Link (PJD Link) project has stunned many residents who live along the proposed alignment.
They thought their worries had ended with the announcement of its cancellation on Monday but within less than a day, caretaker Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari had left the door open for the project to be revived if the developer fulfils the requirements set by the state government.
SS20 Says No to PJD Link member Eileen Thong said the residents were left reeling over the flip-flop.
“One minute it was cancelled and within hours, it was said the project might be revived (if conditions are met).
“The matter has not been resolved and now we are back to square one. This is very disheartening.
“We continue to oppose the project as it is destructive,” said the former SS20 Damansara Utama Rukun Tetangga chairman.
ALSO READ: PJD Link scrapped as conditions were not met, says Amirudin
Thong, 77, said PJD Link must be scrapped once and for all.
“It would be better to have trams as public transport, as they are sustainable.
“The tram tracks are laid on the existing roads so there is no need to build an elevated highway which will be disruptive to our surroundings.
“Also, taxpayers’ monies will not be wasted as trams are cheaper to instal and offer better connectivity,” she said.
Stakeholders and Residents Against PJD Link (ScRAP) chairman David Yoong Lai Hon said the quick volte-face by Amirudin had unsettled many Petaling Jaya residents and stakeholders, who thought they had been given a reprieve.
“Amirudin and the state government should understand by now that it would not be easy for PJD Link to meet requirements or satisfy the people of Petaling Jaya.
“We have spoken out unequivocally via an independent opinion poll (93.6% strongly objected) as well as made our objections clear to the Social Impact Assessment consultant engaged by the highway developer,” he said.
ALSO READ: End to worries about PJD Link
He added that a mature city like Petaling Jaya simply had no room to accommodate an elevated highway cutting past schools, offices and other buildings.
Many long-time residents also feared that they would be displaced with their houses having to make way for the route.
“ScRAP team welcomes Amirudin’s assurance that the people are the state’s top priority, and appeals to him to further engage with us to seek sustainable solutions for development within the city.
“We hope that together, we can find an effective traffic dispersal system that works for the people,” said Yoong.
On Monday, Amirudin announced the cancellation of the proposed PJD Link that was approved by the previous federal government under former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob in April last year.
In the Monday announcement, Amirudin said that based on the Social Impact Assessment report, his caretaker administration was “not satisfied with the plan that has been presented because it does not fulfil the conditions” previously set by the state.
But, according to a news portal, when asked about the project after launching the unity government’s Selangor manifesto on Monday night, Amirudin told reporters: “If they (the developer) can fulfil the conditions set by the state and appease the people, we can continue with it.”
The PJD Link is a proposed 34.3km dual-carriage expressway with four lanes and eight interchanges/ramps as an alternative to the heavily used Damansara- Puchong Highway (LDP) to connect various fast-growing townships with Bandar Utama in Petaling Jaya at one end and Bukit Jalil in Kuala Lumpur at the other end.
Meanwhile, Muda said it would maintain pressure on the authorities not to revive PJD Link.
Muda spokesperson VKK Raja said the party would be the voice of Petaling Jaya residents in blocking the return of the project.
“That is our pledge,” said the candidate for the Bukit Gasing seat in the state polls on Aug 12.
