KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 — Selangor has not given full approval for the construction of the controversial Damansara-Shah Alam Expressway (DASH) project, said a state lawmaker when refuting a report that all technical aspects of the project had been approved.
Selangor state executive councillor Elizabeth Wong pointed out that discussions on the proposed alignment of the highway were still underway, and there was no final decision on the matter yet.
“We never said the highway was approved, it is still being discussed.
“The Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) has approved (DASH) in its local plan, but in Petaling Jaya discussions are still ongoing... the DASH alignment has so far only been incorporated within the Petaling Jaya 2 Local Plan (RTPJ2) up to the NKVE (New Klang Valley Expressway),” she told Malay Mail Online when contacted.
She added that there were still concerns about the alignment, and that the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) will continue to consult affected residents from Mutiara Damansara and Damansara Perdana on the matter.
Yesterday, Kota Anggerik assemblyman Yaakob Sapari was quoted saying that the Selangor government had approved the DASH highway on all technical standpoints, and that the green light for the project had been kept under wraps due to protests from various quarters.
“I spoke to YB Yaakob this morning and he claims to have said that the highway was approved in principal but final approval was still under discussion,” Wong added.
Opponents of the controversial highway project Say No to DASH (SNTD) previously claimed that DASH highway developer Prolintas Bhd tried to conceal the fact that work on the DASH project has already begun despite no official confirmation from the Works Ministry or the Selangor government.
According to Prolintas, DASH will be a 20.1km, three-lane, dual carriageway expressway starting from Puncak Perdana in Shah Alam to the Penchala interchange.
With 12 interchanges, the RM11.5 billion expressway plans to link drivers to Lebuhraya Damansara Puchong and Sprint highways, which residents claim are already congested during peak hours.
DASH will serve motorists from Puncak Perdana, Alam Suria, Denai Alam, Kampung Melayu Subang, Jalan Sungai Buloh, the Rubber Research Institute Malaysia, Kota Damansara, Damansara Perdana and Mutiara Damansara, Prolintas said.
