KUALA LUMPUR, June 4 — Emrail Sdn Bhd, a key player behind the Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex) project initially thought dead, must explain why it sought to extend its concession with Putrajaya, opponents demanded.

They said this was imperative given the firm’s unexplained role in another proposed highway -- the Petaling Jaya Dispersal (PJD) Link — that would run remarkably parallel to Kidex, which Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof confirmed was granted a one-year extension to meet the preconditions of the project.

Emrail has told residents groups seeking information on its part in the PJD Link that it was not involved in the project that will use a near-identical alignment as Kidex.

“If they (Emrail) are not involved with the Petaling Jaya Dispersal Link while still holding on to the (Kidex) concession agreement, then they may want to sell it, in which case they cannot claim no involvement,” Say No To Kidex (SNTK) committee member Mak Khuin Weng told Malay Mail Online.

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On paper, the PJD Link is operated by PJD Link Holdings Sdn Bhd, but there are vital clues that suggest ties to Emrail. Its registered address is beside the Dataran Prima offices of Emrail and another firm involved in Kidex.

Pamphlets for the PJD Link also bore PJD Link Holding’s name but Emrail’s office address in the contact information, Mak said.

SNTK representatives who went to the PJD Link Holding’s office last week were also greeted by Emrail’s corporate communications staff, who told the inquirers to contact the latter firm for information on the former, he added.

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Mak said the person introduced himself as an Emrail employee and gave them business cards that also identified him as such. Malay Mail Online subsequently confirmed the information.

All the evidence demanded that Emrail explain its true role in PJD Link, Mak insisted.

“Why then did Emrail allow PJD to use their office address in the pamphlet which was distributed to residents?” Mak said.

News of the PJD Link surfaced last week after residents began receiving material of the proposed highway, whose existence Fadillah has since confirmed

Selangor executive councillor in charge of infrastructure, public amenities and agro-based industries executive councillor Zaidy Abdul Talib said, however, the state government has not received any official information on the proposed PJD Link highway.

In February 2015, Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azmin Ali said his government cancelled Kidex because its developer did not produce relevant supporting studies for its proposal, namely 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 discovery of the PJD Link along with the extension for the Kidex concession to this November, however, have raised concern that the project was being repackaged under a new name.

The PJD Link expressway is a 34.3km dual-carriage expressway with four lanes and eight interchange or ramps, according to the information published in the promotional pamphlet sighted by Malay Mail Online.

Similar to Kidex, the new proposed expressway is to act as an alternative to the heavily-trafficked Lebuhraya Damansara-Puchong, providing access to the fast-growing development corridor connecting Damansara, Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam, Puchong, Kinrara and Putrajaya.

The highway will start from the intersection of the North Klang Valley Expressway and link up the townships of Bandar Utama, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Petaling Jaya, Taman Datuk Harun, Taman Medan Baru, Taman Sri Manja and Bandar Kinrara.

It will end at the Bukit Jalil interchange linking road users to a proposed new highway. Eight interchanges will be built to support rapid development along the alignment covering Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya, Puchong and Bandar Kinrara.