Mass Rapid Transit Corp Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp) has sought public views for the Sg Buloh-Kajang (SBK) Line of the Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (KVMRT) project it is undertaking, said its chief executive officer Azhar Abdul Hamid.

In a statement today in response to the memorandum, purportedly by the community of Jalan Sultan, to MRT Corp yesterday, Azhar said none of the issues raised in the memo was new as the company has consistently responded to similar questions.

“As far as MRT Corp is concerned, we have dutifully taken the input of the public in deciding the final alignment of the SBK Line,” he said.

NONE Azhar said the Railway Scheme of the SBK Line was displayed publicly at seven locations between March and May 2011 and received no less than 6,000 responses and the project approval rating was 91 percent.

There were also over 50 engagement sessions separately with groups and communities along the alignment in conjunction with the public display period, he said.

“The result of these engagements is the 18 Points of Agreement (POA) signed.

“As of today, only Lok Ann Hotel, KL Gospel Hall and Yan Keng Benevolent Dramatic Association have not signed this POA,” he said, responding to claims that the POA was lop-sided in favour of MRT Corp.

The group also highlighted that a public display was not the same as “public consultation”, which Azhar said “in fact, it is”.

“All MRT Corp wants to do is to build a tunnel below the buildings, leading to the underground station provisionally known as Pasar Seni Station.

“The buildings that are being taken down to build the station - Klang Bus Stand, Plaza Warisan and Plaza UO, were all built in the 1980s, and some have outlived their usefulness,” he said.

- Bernama