KUALA LUMPUR (June 8): The government has told the Dewan Rakyat that the concession agreement for the contentious Petaling Jaya Dispersal Link (PJD Link) expressway is classified under the Official Secrets Act 1972 (OSA).

In a written reply on Wednesday (June 7), the Works Ministry said as per the OSA, permission is required from the government and the concessionaire to make the agreement public.

“Based on existing practices, there are a few concession agreements that have been reclassified and downgraded, and can be shared with the public with the permission of the government and concession companies.

“However, the concession agreements may only be accessed physically at the Ministry of Works within office hours,” it said.

The ministry was replying to Subang member of Parliament Wong Chen, who asked if the government would openly share the PJD Link concession agreement, or alternatively, allow a Parliament Special Select Committee full access to the agreement.

The PJD Link has been met with opposition since it was announced, with critics saying it will threaten some of Petaling Jaya’s oldest neighbourhoods and force residents to relocate.

They also question the need for yet another highway, saying it could lead to a waste of resources and jack up property prices.

On Tuesday (June 6), the expressway’s concessionaire PJD Link (M) Sdn Bhd announced that it had secured RM922 million in funding as part of the project’s financing.

The company also signed a heads of agreement with MCC Overseas (M) Sdn Bhd (MCC Malaysia) - a subsidiary of China Metallurgical Group Corporation, which is a construction engineering conglomerate listed on the Shanghai and Hong Kong stock exchanges - to appoint MCC Malaysia as PJD Link’s engineering, procurement and construction contractor.

The proposed PJD Link is a 25.4km, four-lane expressway that starts after the New Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE) toll plaza on the SPRINT Highway, Damansara, and ends at the Bukit Jalil Highway Interchange. 

It will connect Petaling Jaya North, Bandar Utama, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Petaling Jaya City Centre, Taman Dato’ Harun, Taman Medan Baru, Taman Sri Manja, Bandar Kinrara, and Bukit Jalil Technology Park. 

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