The Klang Municipal Council (MPK) has been given until the end of February to resolve problems faced by traders and bus operators after the relocation of the North Klang Bus Terminal seven kilometres away from the city centre.

khalid ibrahim on klang bas terminal 090109 04 Selangor Mentri Besar Khalid Ibrahim said today that the MPK would have to “figure out the operational solutions” for businesses in the surrounding area that are bound to face losses.

However, Khalid said that the new bus terminal , Klang Sentral, located on Jalan Meru will be maintained.

According to the mentri besar, express buses and “city-to-city” buses would continue operations at the new terminal but matters relating to the routes of the domestic buses would be sorted out by the MPK through “public consultations”.

“The transfer was supposed to have alleviated the burden of consumers in Klang, instead it is the other way around...the plight of the traders, bus operators and taxi drivers were improperly handled,” he said at a press conference in Shah Alam.

Talks with affected parties

The matter was addressed in depth this morning in a round-table discussion which involved the mentri besar, members of Parliament, members of the state assembly, councillors, municipal council representatives and consumer associations as well as bus operators, traders and taxi driver associations.

The move came after a series of protests was organised by some of those who were adversely affected by the relocation of the bus terminal which now operates as a pick-up point with buses not being allowed to wait for passengers there.

Asked why the matter was not discussed before the relocation since the affected parties have been resisting the move to the new terminal since early November last year, Khalid said: “It was a matter that should have been discussed in 2004 and in the consecutive years”.

Khalid was referring to an older bus terminal which had burnt down in 2004 which led to the agreement between the then BN state government and private developer NPO Development Sdn Bhd to construct a new terminal away from the city centre.

Khalid added that the concession agreement regarding the new terminal will be made available for public viewing at MPK's office and a copy would given to local councillors.

“At one stage everybody stood aside (and criticised the matter) but now everybody is involved,” he said, adding that the round-table meet was productive.

He said the operational solutions would concentrate on the routes of the domestic buses, new pick-up points identified by the MPK and requirements for additional bus stops.

Furthermore, the meeting was held because there was a pressing need to address the problem and enable all parties to come under one roof to “thrash out” their reservations.

'Discussion a positive move'

The issue had earlier caused a rift between Kapar parliamentarian S manikavasagam Manickavasagam and Selangor state assembly speaker and assemblyperson for Sungai Pinang Teng Chang Khim.

Teng had accused Manikavasagam of behaving like the “opposition” when he highlighted the relocation issue.

As a result of the bus terminal issue and other frustrations towards the state's leadership, Manikavasagam resigned from his Selangor PKR deputy liaison chief's post.

teng chang khim 02 Teng, who was present at today's meeting, said the discussion was a positive move to improve the current state of the bus station and added that all parties were satisfied with the discussion.

However, restaurant owner C Krishnan representing traders near the old terminal, and bus operations manager G Loges, both of whom attended the meeting, said the discussions did not reflect the problem at hand.

They both said that their businesses survived largely on customers who travelled via interstate express buses adding though that the involvement of the state government in the issue was “better than nothing”.