Govt scraps PJD Link project

Unity government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil said Putrajaya rejected PJD Link’s request for an extension to meet a number of the conditions.

PUTRAJAYA: The government has decided not to proceed with the Petaling Jaya Dispersal Link (PJD Link) project.

Unity government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil said the decision followed the concessionaire’s failure to fulfil six of 11 conditions set by Putrajaya.

“The Cabinet has decided not to hold further discussions with PJD Link. They asked for an extension to meet a number of the conditions but this was rejected by the government,” he said at a press conference.

He added that the public works department (JKR) will issue a statement on the matter.

The PJD Link would have connected the north and south of Petaling Jaya, passing through Petaling Jaya Utara, Bandar Utama, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Petaling Jaya city centre, Taman Dato’ Harun, Taman Medan Baru, Taman Sri Manja, Bandar Kinrara and Bukit Jalil Technology Park.

The proposal for the highway’s construction was approved in principle by the Cabinet in November 2017.

In September 2020, the state government also approved the project in principle, subject to receipt of the impact assessment reports.

Last year, Selangor menteri besar Amirudin Shari said the state government had decided to scrap the PJD Link project.

He said the impact assessment reports submitted by the developer, particularly the social impact assessment report, were not satisfactory and did not meet certain conditions set by the state government.

Amirudin later called for the developer of the proposed highway to renegotiate the project’s alignment with the federal government.

Selangor infrastructure and agriculture committee chairman Izham Hashim subsequently said the highway’s alignment needed to be improved.

He said the social impact assessment report revealed that nearly 50% of complaints were received from residents in Petaling Jaya though residents in Puchong seemed to be agreeable to the project.

However, he said it was up to the federal government to make the final decision.