A placard reading “No DASH” is pictured during a press conference to object the RTPJ2 amendments, which the proposals have included the Damansara-Shah Alam Elevated Highway (DASH), in Damansara Perdana on September 1, 2014. The Malaysian Insider/Najjua Zulkefli
The Say No to DASH (SNTD) Damansara group has expressed its disappoinment over the Selangor state executive council’s instruction to the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) to re-insert the Damansara-Shah Alam Expressway (DASH) in the Petaling Jaya Local Plan 2 (RTPJ2) for discussion.
A statement from the group said the decision was reached on Apri 29 and confirmed on May 13 by the Selangor government.
“It supersedes and nullifies the earlier decision by MBPJ to remove the highway from discussion altogether,” the statement said.
It also cited Petaling Jaya mayor Mohd Azizi Mohd Zain as saying that the last part of the highway involving Damansara Perdana and Mutiara Damansara would be marked with a “dotted line” and the residents in these two areas would no longer be asked for feedback.
“The instructions from the state government was to have the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) look at alternative routes and concurrently continue negotiations with the residents of Damansara Perdana and Mutiara Damansara to obtain agreement and consent to allow the highway to go through the neighbourhood.
“While there appears to be many clauses attached to allow the DASH highway to be discussed, the residents are getting weary and wary of this entire exercise as the objection against DASH going through Damansara Perdana and Mutiara Damansara was a loud ‘No!’ since April 2012,” the statement said.
The group said it had compiled more than 7,000 signatures to date of those who were against the DASH alignment.
It had also met with the relevant authorities and politicians and presented legal reasons and technical studies to prove why the project was bad for the neighbourhood.
“We also managed to obtain the Environmental Impact Assessment and Traffic Impact Assessment Reports to show that the document was filled with flawed and fabricated data and contained numerous inconsistencies and contradictions.
“We have repeatedly stated we do not want this project going through a mature township, which means no going through our area or any other part of Petaling Jaya that is developed.
“We repeated this message for three years straight, and the Selangor government still wants to subject us to more arbitrary negotiation exercises.
“Just how many times does the Selangor government need us to mobilise and say ‘No’?
“This ‘on again, off again, on again’ status for DASH is tiring for us as non-partisan, non-political residents to deal with,” the group said.
The group said it had informed residents that it would be starting a fundraising campaign to hire a lawyer.
“We would like to thank Datuk Zaid Ibrahim who had graciously agreed to sponsor the initial costs,” it said, adding that it was not issuing an ultimatum but was forced to deal with the reality of the situation. – May 28, 2015.
selangoronline.com 
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