Selangor sets new terms for Kidex, demands full disclosure of highway deal with Putrajaya

(Malay Mail Online) – Highway builder Kidex Sdn Bhd must publicly disclose the details of its concession agreement with Putrajaya if it wants the Selangor government to even consider reviewing its Kinrara-Damansara Expressway project, state Mentri Besar Azmin Ali said today.

Azmin said he has laid out three terms that Kidex Sdn Bhd and the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) must follow, adding that the new conditions must be met before the extended concession agreement expires on February 15 next year.

“There must be a full public disclosure of the concession agreement which has been extended,” he said, after a briefing with LLM this morning.

The other two conditions, said Azmin was a full disclosure of the proposed toll rates and returns of the highway that also shares the company’s name, and proof through a thorough traffic impact assessment that it would be beneficial to users and residents in Petaling Jaya.

“Kidex [Sdn Bhd] and LLM must comply comply with these three conditions before we can agree to even review these submissions, or consider the application for the proposed highway,” Azmin stressed.

During the meeting with Azmin, LLM had presented a survey which claimed that 80-85 per cent out of over 2,000 residents living near Kidex’s proposed alignment supported the project.

“We told them we need the actual documents and we need to study this… besides the point. I have laid out conditions…they must do their part and work hard,” the Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyman said.

Yesterday evening, Say No to Kidex (SNTK) ― after meeting Azmin, said they were satisfied of being given an opportunity to formally present their own findings and reasons why they felt the project should be scrapped.

“We stated our objection to the highway, how it is not done via open tender, and how it should not be supported by Pakatan Rakyat because it runs counter to their Buku Jingga pledge.

“He listened to us but didn’t say too much… he said he is willing to meet us further,” SNTK committee member Mak Khuin Weng told reporters at the state secretariat building lobby yesterday, after meeting Azmin.

According to Mak and several other SNTK members, Azmin said in the meeting that he would bring up the Kidex issue in his budget speech when the Selangor legislative assembly convenes next week.

Azmin, who took over the mentri besar’s office from Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim in September, has publicly stated his administration would not oppose any highways which were beneficial to Selangor, provided the assessment reports and viability of these projects were done above board.

Critics have claimed that the Selangor government’s current stand on the Kidex highway is against Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) 2013 general election pledge to abolish tolled highways should they assume federal power.

A Kidex Sdn Bhd official told Malay Mail Online on Sunday that the concession deadline was extended to February next year because Kidex is part of Putrajaya’s “overall transportation and traffic management initiatives” for the Klang Valley.

Last Monday, Works Minister Datuk Fadillah Yusof said his ministry has yet to study Kidex Sdn Bhd’s reason for seeking the extension and will have to consult the Petaling Jaya City Council first before making any decision on the matter.

The final approval for the controversial highway project, the minister pointed out, ultimately lies with the Selangor government.

MBPJ had appointed an “independent consultant” some months back to pore over impact assessment reports prepared by Kidex Sdn Bhd.

SNTK has demanded that Works Minister Fadillah call off the project entirely, claiming that the private developer had failed to meet pre-conditions stipulated by the ministry in the concession agreement a year ago.

Earlier this year, Fadillah said that approval to begin Kidex’s construction will only be given once Putrajaya is satisfied that all conditions have been fulfilled by its highway developer.

In a statement then, the minister stated that the company has 12 months from the signing of the concession agreement on November 15, 2013, to fulfil certain stipulated conditions.

The Kidex project has been rejected on three occasions by the city council as the developer failed to provide sufficient details.

Under Section 18 of the Town Country and Planning Act, construction cannot start unless a highway fits with the MBPJ’s local plans.

The Kidex highway is currently not incorporated into the council’s blueprint for Petaling Jaya.

Among the areas that could be affected by the project are Tropicana Mall, SS2 Mall, Rothman’s traffic lights, Section 14, Amcorp Mall, Hilton Petaling Jaya, Tun Hussein Onn Eye Hospital, Jalan Templer roundabout, Taman Datuk Harun, Taman Medan Baru and Bandar Kinrara.