In meet with Putrajaya, Selangor again rejects Kidex

(Malay Mil Online) – The Selangor government reiterated its decision to reject the Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex) in a meeting with Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof today.

Selangor Mentri Besar Azmin Ali said that he reaffirmed his stand, first made known in February, during a session with the minister to discuss solutions for the state’s traffic congestion.

“I only conveyed the state government’s stand that we won’t budge from our earlier decision, and when I was asked about traffic solution methods, I informed him that the state government will formulate a master plan on the matter and it is to be shared with the federal government,” Azmin told reporters at a press conference after the meeting with Fadillah.

The first-term mentri besar stressed that Selangor does not need more highways in order to solve its congestion issues, but rather for Putrajaya to focus on enhancing the public transportation system to make it more efficient.

“That is why I had asked the government to focus on allocating more resources to the Land Transport Authority (SPAD),” he added.

In February, Azmin rejected the controversial Kidex project after claiming that the developer had failed to meet the terms set by the state government before a February 14 deadline.

Azmin noted that Kidex did not disclose various reports for the project such as a traffic impact assessment, a social impact assessment and an environmental impact assessment, besides failing to reveal the toll rates and full concession agreement.

The cancellation of the RM2.42-billion highway project came after Selangor residents held a protest last month against Kidex and the Damansara-Shah Alam Highway (Dash) highway project.