RESIDENTS of Jalan Plumbum 101 and 103, in Section 7, Shah Alam, are questioning the rationale for running the LRT3 line through their gated-and-guarded neighbourhood playground.

The playground is the area’s only green lung.

The LRT3 line will have eight proposed tiers and located less than 20m from houses along Jalan Plumbum 7/101e.

Jalan Plumbum 101 and 103 Residents Association committee member Abdul Rahim Dawood said they were told initially the land was part of the housing development but now the LRT3 engineers claim it is their right of way.

He said residents were aware the federal and state government guidelines, including the Shah Alam Local Plan 2020, maintain that green lung areas need to be provided for the community.

“The residents living along Jalan Plumbum 7/101e paid an extra RM10,000 to have a playground view but after this, they will open their doors to the LRT that passes by every seven minutes,” added Rahim.

Children, he added, could be seen at the playground every evening but residents were now worried that they would lose their only playing field and there were possible health issues arising from staying so close to the LRT line.

Rahim also pointed out that Persiaran Permai where the line was currently taking shape was too small and narrow with housing estates including flats and landed property on either side.

The line, he added, was running through a small populated area instead of serving the bigger community in Section 7.

Persiaran Bestari, he added, was a straight road without much curvature that would make it easier for construction as well.

Rahim said having a station along Persiaran Permai would only add to the congestion especially since there is a lack of space for cars to park.

“It seems more logical for the line to pass through the main road, Persiaran Bestari, which is wider and has more space for the columns.

“Moreover, there are unused green spaces on the other side that can be used for stations.

“It will be closer to the Shah Alam Hospital as well as Universiti Selangor, places the public need direct access to,” he added.

Rahim said the residents lodged several complaints and met Prasarana Malaysia Bhd to discuss alternatives, including a new realignment route to prevent the line from encroaching into the neighbourhood.

To make matters worse, the construction of LRT3 has caused some other problems in the neighbourhood.

He said drilling works at the LRT3 work site could have caused a broken pipe in the sewerage system.

The RA lodged complaints with the contractors, Prasarana and Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) Sdn Bhd, but nothing had been done so far.

For the last three weeks, the site was left idle without proper safety measures taken into account.

The main drains were clogged with large pipes strewn about and footpaths meant for pedestrians were obstructed as well.

“Proper safety measures and alternative footpaths should have been set up for residents.

“There are a number of people walking to the bus stops and main commercial centres down the road,” Rahim said.

When contacted, IWK’s corporate communications senior manager Shahrul Nizam Sulaiman said its underground sewer pipes at Jalan Plumbum 7/101 were damaged by the LRT3’s horizontal directional drilling works.

“This occurred while relocating the electrical cables. Both the LRT and IWK teams met earlier today and LRT has promised to repair the damaged sewer pipes soonest,” he added.

Remedial works were already underway by the LRT contractors.

MRCB George Kent Sdn Bhd (MRCBGK), the project delivery partner (PDP) of LRT3 and contractor, Rahimkon Sdn Bhd, meanwhile, said the line was predetermined by the country’s Railway Scheme and Land Public Transportation Commission (SPAD).

LRT3 project director Patrick Hwang Chee Leong said the LRT3 alignment and stations were determined after an extensive feasibility study by SPAD and a three-month public display in 2015 to ensure maximum impact from a social and economic perspective.

“The study has shown that Persiaran Permai is one of the higher catchment location with ridership from both residential and commercial areas compared to Persiaran Bestari.

“The three-month public display was held from May to August 2015 and received more than 90% support from close to 7,300 people,” he added.

In relation to the residents’ only playground, the PDP is currently re-looking into the design for both alignment and playground to coexist.

The improved design is currently in its final stages of approval and will be presented to the residents once Prasarana approves.