The Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat (Spad) refers to statements continuously being made by certain quarters with regards to the modification to the MY Rapid Transit (MRT) alignment through a plot of land in Jalan Damansara, Kuala Lumpur.

Spad had clearly explained in a statement on 6 Oct 2011 that the alignment change at the said property was done together with all other modifications to the original proposed Sungai Buloh-Kajang MRT alignment.

The statement also very clearly explains why changes were made to the alignment at this particular plot of land.

We would like to reiterate that the MRT alignment is determined via a vigorous three-step process. The three steps are:

Establishing fixed points along the corridor where the MRT alignment must serve. These are major developments and landmarks within the corridor which need public transport services.

Connecting these fixed points, taking into account six factors - minimising social impact, optimising journey time, constructability, optimising ridership, minimising land acquisition, and ensuring integration with existing and future public transport network.

Putting the alignment through public scrutiny where it is displayed to the public for feedback for three months.

Any modification of the original proposed alignment has to go through this process. Personalities or political considerations are never a factor for consideration when determining the alignment.

Spad considers all calls for changes to the alignment based on the facts and merits of each case, all the time ensuring public interest is taken care of.

These principles were strictly followed for the change of alignment at the plot of land in Jalan Damansara.

As explained in the earlier statement, the re-alignment was done because:

There was suitable alternative land available.

The realignment reduced the amount of land acquisition by over 1,000 square metres.

The new alignment to the edge of the property, which still requires land acquisition, causes less injury to the owner as the remaining land is left intact and economically viable while the original alignment would have sliced the piece of land into two non-connected pieces.

The original proposed alignment will result in the government having to compensate significantly for the loss of economic potential of the land. This became apparent when the development plan for the said plot of land was communicated to the MRT project prior to the alignment being finalised.

We are very concerned over the sheer misinformation being spread about the re-alignment at this location.

We hope that this is not being deliberately done to confuse the rakyat who have voiced their overwhelming wish to see the MRT project completed.

The sudden switch from alleging that the affected structure on the plot of land was a "VIP bungalow" to a "swimming pool" clearly suggests serious flaws to the accuracy of the "facts" being relied upon to perpetuate this non-issue.

The correct fact remains that the bungalow was never affected in the first place and could never have been the reason behind any alignment modification as originally alleged.

Furthermore, there is no change to tunneling works as alleged because tunneling work has not started.

Tenders have only just been called and any tunneling award will only be made in the 1st Quarter of 2012.

We urge the public to be discerning of what is being pandered as facts and being used to create confusion and dissatisfaction with the project.

Spad as regulator and supervising agency of the MRT project acted based on public interest and was guided by the law.

The government remains steadfast in ensuring that the MRT is completed on time so that the lives of the rakyat are enhanced with better transportation and Kuala Lumpur is successfully transformed into a world class city.

SYED HAMID ALBAR is Chairman of Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat (Spad).