Pakatan Rakyat voters are apprehensive about the controversial Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex) and want to know what the Selangor menteri besar will do about this.

This was raised during Question Time at the state assembly today by Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (PKR-Kajang).

Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim was swarmed with questions from Pakatan assemblypersons over the highly debated project.

"Many people feel apprehensive about this development (the Kidex project).

"Therefore I want to ask what steps the state government will take to calm the situation.

"And what guarantee will be given to the people. As far as I know, most of them there (in the affected areas) are Pakatan Rakyat voters," Wan Azizah said.

Khalid replied that the Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA) is making the necessary arrangements and will meet with the residents to explain the matter to them.

"MHA and the state government have no commercial interest in this project, but until the arrangements are complete, there cannot be a meeting," he said.

"When that time comes (to meet with the residents), we won't say 'its still being studied'. When people ask questions, we will have answers," Khalid said.

'Document to be made public'

Among the other representatives who fired questions at Khalid were Yeo Bee Yin (DAP-Damansara Utama) and R Rajiv (DAP-Bukit Gasing) whose constituencies are affected, as well as Gan Pei Nei (PKR-Rawang) and Shuhaime Shafiee (PKR-Seri Muda).

Khalid repeated his guarantee that the state government would not agree with the project or approve the necessary land requisitions should the concessionaire fail to meet the requirements.

He also promised that all the documents related to Kidex would be made public in line with the state's Freedom of Information Act, when they are handed to the state.

This, he said, will take the concessionaire and MHA will usually take 12 to 18 months to submit.

"It depends on three conditions, that is (firstly) all the environmental and traffic assessment reports are submitted; secondly that the concession agreement is not lopsided or unfairly favours the concessionaire.

"And thirdly, (the agreement) places a clause stating that should the projected profit be achieved earlier than projected, the agreement will thus be terminated earlier," he said.

Touted as the most expensive highway project in the country in terms of cost per kilometre, the highway that cuts right through the heart of Petaling Jaya has raised the ire of residents living in densely populated housing areas.

The residents argue they have not been properly consulted in approving the federal project, while Damansara Utama's Yeo has also noted that the concessionaire has not yet submitted the traffic impact assessment as the it had claimed.

Yeo and Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua have also countered the concessionaire's claims that the highway will greatly reduce traffic congestion in the related areas.

However, Khalid has been publicly supportive of the project, which has been allegedly awarded to a BN crony.

'MHA owns d ocuments'

Explaining the wait to release the documents to the public, the menteri besar explained that at present the documents belong to MHA, which required them to process the approvals for the project.

These include the environmental and traffic impact assessment and the project plans, which will only be handed to the state government when MHA is done with them.

"The matters (documents) are now being held by MHA on behalf of the state government approvals.

"For approvals, they will then to be given to the State Economic Planning Unit (Upen) and the local authorities, because MHA owns the documents and only those involved in making decisions (at state level) are allowed to view the documents.

"When it's complete, the documents can then be asked to (be made public), in line with the Freedom of Information Act," Khalid added.

Meanwhile, the Say No To Kidex group handed a memorandum to several Pakatan MPs in Parliament including Subang MP R Sivarasa, Petaling Jaya selatan MP Hee Loy Sian, Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar and Penampang MP Darell Leiking.

Meeting the MPs in Parliament, it urged Pakatan to uphold its 2013 election manifesto and stop the state from approving the Kidex.

The group said it has handed two memoranda to Khalid and invited him to a dialogue thrice but received no reply.