200,000 residents demand EKVE project to be stopped

KUALA LUMPUR: A group of community leaders today reiterated their demand that the Selangor state government put a halt to the proposed East Klang Valley Expressway (EKVE) project.
They are from 32 residents associations that represent the interest of about 200,000 residents of Ukay Perdana, Bukit Antarabangsa, Sering Ukay and Ukay Bistari.
They also want to meet state housing, development, management and urban living executive councillor Datuk Iskandar Samad who they said had promised to have a second forum to hear their grouses on the EKVE project.
“We have been seeking a meeting with him and the Mentri Besar (Mohamed Azmin Ali) but neither has responded to us on this matter,” said the residents’ representative, Dr Mohamed Rafick Khan Abdul Rahman, at a press conference here today.
EKVE Bukit Antarabangsa Residents’ Task Force co-ordinator Brig Jen (Rtd) Datuk Mohd Arshad Raji, who was also present, said they have sent a letter to the Works Ministry, Mentri Besar’s office, Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) and Petaling Jaya City Council to further discuss their grouses.
He said a meeting was held with representatives from LLM, the highway concessionaire and city council last Saturday where they residents stated they were not opposed to the authorities’ development plans but these should not burden their daily lives at present and in the future.
He also said a public hearing for residents has not been held as required under the Town Country Planning Act 1976.
Calling on the authorities to have a dialogue to resolve outstanding issues, he said if the matter was not amicably resolved the residents would not hesitate to act on their own accord to protect their homes.