PETALING Jaya MP Maria Chin today took Works Minister Fadillah Yusof to task for announcing that the Petaling Jaya Dispersal Link (PJD Link) highway project has been approved, when it has yet to get the green light from the Selangor government.

“The Selangor government has yet to get the traffic, social and environmental impact assessments. These have not been submitted to either the state or federal governments, or residents.

“So, why did the federal government come to a decision to approve the highway?” Chin said at a protest against the project organised by Petaling Jaya residents today.

It was reported that PJD Link, Putrajaya-Bangi Expressway (PBE) and Kuala Lumpur Northern Dispersal Expressway (KL-Node) projects have obtained approvals in principle from the government.

Fadillah had said on April 4 the government welcomed private takeovers of concessionaires for restructuring to reduce the financial burden to the taxpayer.

Earlier this morning, about 100 residents gathered near the Section 14 mosque to protest the mega highway.

They carried placards that read: “Say No to PJDLink” and also urged motorists to honk in support of their protest.

Chin said the federal government will now have to provide answers.

“This has made the residents here insecure about their homes and whether they will be taken away.

“The community here has been around for ages. There are bylaws that no highway should enter the city centre but the government just made a blanket announcement.”

She added that the Selangor government’s position is that it has yet to receive all the assessment reports.

“Pakatan Harapan has already come out with a statement to say that this topic is not for discussion anymore.

“The state government has to clearly state its position.

“They should just say no and think about alternative measures such as elevating public transport.”

Chin said she and other MPs will be raising the issue in Parliament at the next sitting.

Stakeholders cum Residents Against PJDL (Scrap) organiser David Yoong said 15 residents’ associations have rejected the project.

“I am representing the residents in principle that the highway is not going to do any good to relieve the traffic situation here.

“Our aim is to raise awareness among the residents on this highway and seek their participation.”

He said they will be organising another protest against the project on July 23 along the proposed PJD Link alignment.

“After the 23rd, we will call on all the residents associations to write letters to Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari and state excos.

“We also want to plead with Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah to tell him that we will suffer with this project.”

Petaling Jaya residents have opposed the proposed 34.3km dual-carriageway since 2016, as well as its Kidex incarnation, saying the elevated highway would cut through their neighbourhoods and affect up to 1,000 homes.

The residents said the proposed highway would bring enormous traffic flow, carbon emissions, air pollution, and noise and visual disturbances.

It was reported that the proposed highway was to run along Jalan Penchala and Jalan Sultan (PJ Sentral), crossing the Federal Highway towards Jalan Professor Khoo Kay Khim (previously Jalan Semangat) and Jalan Harapan, and then turning west along the Sprint Highway towards the New Klang Valley Expressway Damansara toll plaza.

Real estate portal PropertyGuru in 2016 highlighted questions from residents if the same developer behind Kidex was trying to push the highway project ahead with renamed PJD Link. – July 2, 2022.