Developers must also have social responsibility
Thursday May 29, 2008
I HAVE been following the media reports on the Cheras-Kajang Highway issue involving concessionaire Grand Saga and Bandar Mahkota residents.
According to The Star on May 8, Grand Saga business development and corporate affairs executive director Zainal Abidin Ali said that while he sympathised with the residents for being forced to use a longer route, Grand Saga had to close the access road due to safety concerns.
We urge Grand Saga not to manipulate the word safety as a ticket out of this situation. The developers, as part of their social obligation to road users, must have humanised their design rather than focusing on maximum profit generation.
If safety is of concern, the developers should work together with the residents and other independent parties to study the extent of unsafe factors of the blocked access road and rectify it together with the local government and the Works Ministry.
Some 15 of the 22 highways in the Klang Valley are said to be making profits, as indicated by the Works Minister and this includes Grand Saga. Increasing volume of vehicles, urban migration and land development in areas around the Grand Saga highway will surely ensure profits for the concessionaire for a long time.
The standoff in Bandar Mahkota Cheras is not the first in Malaysia concerning highway construction. If safety was a concern for concessionaires and those offering the concessions, then we would not have highways like the KL-Putrajaya Highway running behind residents’ backyards in Sri Petaling and just few metres away from shop houses in Port Klang.
The residents of Sri Petaling also demonstrated against the highway but failed to do anything and the their house values depreciated.
Cheras is known to be notorious for traffic jams, despite the highways. Most of the highways in Klang Valley have not realised the objectives they were meant for i.e to reduce traffic congestion.
Instead, the unchecked increase in conventional vehicles has resulted in negative social and environmental impacts.
The increased use of conventional fuel-intensive vehicles is perhaps one of the major contributors to green house gasses in Malaysia. During traffic jams, we witness a many-fold increase in travelling time, fuel consumption and emissions.
In the context of the UN guidelines for Consumer Protection and the Rio Declaration, consumers have the right to choose and if consumers choose to practice sustainable consumption, it is the state’s obligation and responsibility to protect and support them.
In the case of Bandar Mahkota Cheras, residents have chosen shorter routes, perhaps saving fuel, time and money. Consumers also have the right to seek redress, a right to a healthy and sustainable environment and the right to be heard.
Inconsiderate and irresponsible land developments indicate a sheer absence of awareness on the seriousness of global warming among policy makers and private companies like the highway concessionaires. It also indicates sheer ignorance towards the environmental and societal needs of the people.
Most construction work of highways, roads and land development along the highways does not effectively engage stakeholders who are directly affected by the development.
Klang, for instance and as reported by the media, has been subjected to unplanned land development resulting in traffic congestion, isolated flooding and, of course, pollution.
We have come across demographic statistics showing the population of Klang reaching 1mil and shopping complexes, housing estates and business centre projects were being approved and former agricultural land being developed for the projects. This kind of irresponsible development does not engage the stakeholders.
Worse still is the plight of residents at Taman Garing, Rawang. Improper maintenance and measures taken to manage flooding and runoffs have caused insurmountable losses to the residents due to mud and flash floods.
We urge that all those involved in the planning of corridors and other forms of land development, from the federal government downwards, have a strong sense of social responsibility in approaching development.
RATNA DEVI NADARAJAN
Director
Malaysian Association of Standards Users
I HAVE been following the media reports on the Cheras-Kajang Highway issue involving concessionaire Grand Saga and Bandar Mahkota residents.
According to The Star on May 8, Grand Saga business development and corporate affairs executive director Zainal Abidin Ali said that while he sympathised with the residents for being forced to use a longer route, Grand Saga had to close the access road due to safety concerns.
We urge Grand Saga not to manipulate the word safety as a ticket out of this situation. The developers, as part of their social obligation to road users, must have humanised their design rather than focusing on maximum profit generation.
If safety is of concern, the developers should work together with the residents and other independent parties to study the extent of unsafe factors of the blocked access road and rectify it together with the local government and the Works Ministry.
Some 15 of the 22 highways in the Klang Valley are said to be making profits, as indicated by the Works Minister and this includes Grand Saga. Increasing volume of vehicles, urban migration and land development in areas around the Grand Saga highway will surely ensure profits for the concessionaire for a long time.
The standoff in Bandar Mahkota Cheras is not the first in Malaysia concerning highway construction. If safety was a concern for concessionaires and those offering the concessions, then we would not have highways like the KL-Putrajaya Highway running behind residents’ backyards in Sri Petaling and just few metres away from shop houses in Port Klang.
The residents of Sri Petaling also demonstrated against the highway but failed to do anything and the their house values depreciated.
Cheras is known to be notorious for traffic jams, despite the highways. Most of the highways in Klang Valley have not realised the objectives they were meant for i.e to reduce traffic congestion.
Instead, the unchecked increase in conventional vehicles has resulted in negative social and environmental impacts.
The increased use of conventional fuel-intensive vehicles is perhaps one of the major contributors to green house gasses in Malaysia. During traffic jams, we witness a many-fold increase in travelling time, fuel consumption and emissions.
In the context of the UN guidelines for Consumer Protection and the Rio Declaration, consumers have the right to choose and if consumers choose to practice sustainable consumption, it is the state’s obligation and responsibility to protect and support them.
In the case of Bandar Mahkota Cheras, residents have chosen shorter routes, perhaps saving fuel, time and money. Consumers also have the right to seek redress, a right to a healthy and sustainable environment and the right to be heard.
Inconsiderate and irresponsible land developments indicate a sheer absence of awareness on the seriousness of global warming among policy makers and private companies like the highway concessionaires. It also indicates sheer ignorance towards the environmental and societal needs of the people.
Most construction work of highways, roads and land development along the highways does not effectively engage stakeholders who are directly affected by the development.
Klang, for instance and as reported by the media, has been subjected to unplanned land development resulting in traffic congestion, isolated flooding and, of course, pollution.
We have come across demographic statistics showing the population of Klang reaching 1mil and shopping complexes, housing estates and business centre projects were being approved and former agricultural land being developed for the projects. This kind of irresponsible development does not engage the stakeholders.
Worse still is the plight of residents at Taman Garing, Rawang. Improper maintenance and measures taken to manage flooding and runoffs have caused insurmountable losses to the residents due to mud and flash floods.
We urge that all those involved in the planning of corridors and other forms of land development, from the federal government downwards, have a strong sense of social responsibility in approaching development.
RATNA DEVI NADARAJAN
Director
Malaysian Association of Standards Users
posted by Toyers at
6:46 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home