The Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) is running roughshod over public interest by ignoring concerns over the implementation of the Klang Valley Mass Rail Transit (MRT) project, DAP publicity chief Tony Pua charged today.
He said the “rushed-job” roll out of the estimated RM36.6 billion train line “raises suspicions that SPAD was just acting as hatchet men for the real party which designed the MRT alignment,” project delivery partner MMC-Gamuda.
“As the chairman of SPAD, Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar must be taken to task for the poor delivery of the MRT proposal which appears designed to serve the commercial interest of Gamuda and MMC,” he said.
Pua (picture)referred to allegations that traffic modelling had not been carried out and asked how SPAD could have decided on placement of stations and alignment.
“Without such studies having been carried out, how did SPAD or any other authority for that matter decide on the placement of the stations and the alignment of the MRT track, which today is being made available for public ‘feedback and consultation’?” he said in a press statement.
The Petaling Jaya Utara MP added that Syed Hamid had said that half of MRT commuters would also rely on buses but refused to detail how the government would ensure the two services would be integrated.
Noting that the Sungai Buloh Kajang (SBK) line would have a capacity of 40,000 passengers per hour per direction (PPHPD), Pua said buses must carry 20,000 passengers just to feed the MRT, adding that the former minister’s failure to explain how this was to be achieved has left the public “completely in the dark.”
“How are the public and any other interest groups able to make objective assessments of the MRT project without such critical accompanying data?” he asked.
Pua had called on Wednesday for SPAD to provide details on how bus services would complement or provide an alternative to the MRT.
He had claimed that buses were integral even to Hong Kong and Singapore which have public transport utilisation of 90 and 60 per cent respectively compared to the Klang Valley’s 14 per cent.
Buses in Hong Kong and Singapore also cater for 50 and 62 per cent of total public transport ridership respectively, he said.
Pua called for Syed Hamid to stop giving excuses and accusing the opposition of “politicising the issue” and start providing answers to criticisms from various parties on “the alignment of the MRT, its cost effectiveness as well as the prioritisation of the MRT over bus services.”
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UMNO/BN government thought that the current cabinet ministers can appoint any one from the BN retired dead wood minister to head SPAD or any units and still feel that the scenario is still the same as 20, 15 or 15 years ago where BN can just bull thru. Even the BN component parties are useless as far as accountable, transparency & competency are concerned. Coming to fill the cronies pockets is the main concern.
UMNO/BN time is running out soon.
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