LRT route plan - stay out and keep out, Prasarana
I refer to the Kelana Jaya LRT route drawn up Prasarana recently. My contention is that Prasarana does not have the authority to draw up such a route plan. Let me quote from the Prasarana website:
‘Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad (Prasarana) is a wholly-owned government company under the Ministry of Finance Inc., which was set up to own the assets of selected public transport companies. This is part of the government’s initiative to restructure the urban public transport system in the Klang Valley’.
No where does it say that Prasarana has the authority to overrule the local councils, the Selangor Town and Rural Planning Department when it comes to master planning an LRT route. This master route plan is now laid out in the Selangor Structure Plan 2020 and the Subang Jaya Draft Local Plan both which exclude Putra Heights.
In the Subang Jaya Draft Local Plan, the Kelana Jaya LRT line ends in USJ 17 and the Ampang line ends in Taman Perindustrian Puchong. Putra Heights is nowhere along the LRT extension line as it’s considered only a low-density, middle-income area. We question the authority of Prasarana to modify existing master route plan without consultation with the stakeholders.
Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam (MBSA), in the last six months, came up with an alternative LRT route plan that covers Section 27, Alam Megah, Shah Alam but Prasarana has rejected this. MBSA has taken into account all aspects of this new route. A survey form had also been circulated to residential, commercial and industrial property owners in Section 27.
The outcome was that almost everyone who signed the forms (a total of 1,155) want an LRT route to run into Section 27, Alam Megah and Shah Alam. It was most welcomed, especially by the big industrial companies situated along this route as it would serve their workers.
Since MBSA has come up with this new route endorsed by the rakyat, the member of Parliament, the state assembly person and the business sector, we would like for MBSA’s route to be implemented. And it is MBSA’s duty to draw up the LRT route plan - not Prasarana’s. Prasarana should assume the role of a servant and not of master.
We also challenge the competence and expertise of Prasarana to draw up its current proposed LRT route plan based on the fact that their only experience is in acquiring and operating the assests of the two existing LRT lines.
No independent audit on the route, environment and socio-economic status has thus far been made public by them. Our main concern is the lack of transparency when it comes to this. Decisions are made irregardless of the needs of the people. Assuming a study of the route plan has been carried out by Prasarana, why hasn’t it been made public given the enormous cost (use of public funds) involved in this project?
MBSA’s alternative route plan has been rejected by Prasarana which alleges that this new route involving Stations 11 and 12 of the existing Kelana Jaya line will cost them an extra RM500 million ringgit.
We ask that for an independent audit done on this figure and it be made public for we want it to be transparent. Is RM500 million ringgit is too much to ask to provide service to the rakyat who really need it?
It is public funds which will be used to build this LRT and we the rakyat agree that the RM500 million go for this purpose – it’s our money.
Prasarana is banking on the bus service that they say will provide (Rapid KL) transport for commuters to the LRT stations. From past experience, namely the Kelana Jaya LRTstation - we know that the bus service has failed badly. Since this has failed, we have no guarantee that another bus service will solve any problem.
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