PETALING JAYA, Jan 28 — The Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) said today it will not incorporate the Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex) into its blueprint for the city, after an independent report highlighted its many flaws.

MBPJ councillor Lee Suet Sen said any amendments to the city's local plan must first be decided and approved by the Selangor government before the city council can take any action.

"There are no changes to the local plan… based on the report it (Kidex) is not beneficial to PJ," Lee told reporters at a news conference here.

The councillor said the report by MDS Traffic Planners and Consultants showed a lot of problems and discrepancies related to the proposed highway, which is being promoted as a solution to traffic woes in Petaling Jaya city.

Construction of Kidex, however, cannot start unless it is made a part of the council’s blueprint as required under the Town Country and Planning Act.

Lee said the report will be published online and made publicly available, and will also be presented to the state government at the next state economic action council meeting.

"We may conduct another public briefing if the response (from the public) is aggressive," Lee said.

The review by MDS concluded that the Kidex project suffers from major shortcomings with regards to its planning process as well as its potential impact on residents.

This included a poorly executed social impact assessment, encroachment on homes and public buildings like schools and hospitals, and the failure of the developer, Kidex Sdn Bhd, to properly address objections and concerns of the affected residents.

MDS added that studies carried out by the developer itself showed that Petaling Jaya is “not as congested” as it is made out to be, and that whatever traffic flow problems on the existing Damansara-Puchong highway (LDP) should be dealt with separately instead of hinging on Kidex.

Kidex Sdn Bhd has said it has fulfilled all the pre-conditions stipulated in its concession agreement with the federal government, ahead of the deal’s expiry on February 15.

But the developer for the controversial RM2.42 billion highway said it is prepared to apply for further extension of its concession agreement deadline, as the Selangor government has yet to approve the project and the various technical reports submitted by the company.

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.