KUALA LUMPUR – PJD Link (M) Sdn Bhd, the developer behind the Petaling Jaya Dispersal Link (PJD Link) highway project, is currently awaiting official notification from the government regarding the project’s cancellation.
In a statement today, they emphasised the project is viable and will bring benefits to the people.
“PJD Link is a RM4.4 billion project with vast economic spillovers that will benefit many, where it is projected to provide an estimated 12,000 jobs and generate RM31 billion in total economic output,” they said, adding that it is also intended to be fully privately funded, with no expenditure from the state or federal government.
This project, which is owned by the federal government through the Works Ministry, had already gone through detailed scrutiny by all relevant ministries and regulatory bodies, the developer said.
“These concluded with the approvals of the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA); Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA); and Social Impact Assessment (SIA) reports,” they added.
The developer also asserted that the previously unfulfilled conditions mentioned by government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil yesterday were due to the Conditions Precedent (CP) which had taken longer than expected due to the complexities of this project.
This comes after Fahmi yesterday announced the discontinuation of the project due to PJD Link’s failure to fulfil six out of the 11 stipulated Conditions Precedent (CP).
“We believe that this remains a viable project that brings about benefits to the people. Its holistic economic and social benefits promise to significantly enhance sustainability and well-being across Selangor and the broader Klang Valley region,” PJD Link said today.
“We are also in the midst of studying requests to review the alignment of the highway.”
They also acknowledged that while members of the public had concerns, the project has garnered widespread support from stakeholders along the alignment.
“Its holistic economic and social benefits promise to significantly enhance sustainability and well-being across Selangor and the broader Klang Valley region.
“We are enthusiastic about the opportunity to address any misconceptions surrounding PJD Link and engage in ongoing discussions about this vital infrastructure project, which promises significant and enduring socioeconomic advantages.
“We will continue to work alongside the relevant government agencies, including federal and state (authorities), to see how this project can be viable for the people of Selangor and the greater Klang Valley,” the developer said.
The PJD Link, with 11 interchanges, would have connected Bandar Utama to Bukit Jalil as a means to disperse traffic and reduce traffic congestion within Petaling Jaya.
Last year, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said the Pakatan Harapan state government decided to scrap the PJD Link project before the state election in August.
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 (SIA) report.
It is understood that PLANMalaysia Selangor has approved the project’s SIA.
Amirudin previously said the developer’s SIA stated support for the highway from Taman Medan and Kinrara residents, while Petaling Jaya residents opposed it.
He said that due to divided opinion, the developer could realign the highway to bypass areas where residents opposed it.
However, this would require renegotiating with the federal government, then under Barisan Nasional control, which had already approved the project in principle.
The proposal was then submitted to the Selangor Economic Action Council on September 3, 2020, for a residential survey to be carried out in Petaling Jaya before it was presented to the government on November 12, 2021, and given conditional approval.
The condition meant that a concession agreement was signed between the Perikatan Nasional federal government and the developer on April 5, 2022, for the construction company to conduct a full environmental impact assessment, SIA, and traffic impact assessment before the deal could be “activated”.
Last month, Selangor Infrastructure and Agriculture executive councillor Izham Hashim told Scoop the proposed highway had not been cancelled but was delayed as the state government awaited information from the PJD Link’s developer about revised plans for the alignment. – April 18, 2024