KUALA SELANGOR: Former Tanjong Karang Member of Parliament Tan Sri Noh Omar has rebuked the statement made by Tanjong Karang Member of Parliament, Capt (R) Datuk Dr Zulkafperi Hanapi, regarding the proposal to build a bridge over Sungai Tengi to address traffic congestion, which allegedly caused the town of Tanjong Karang to become deserted.
This is because the former six-term representative had actually proposed the matter since 2018. Noh sarcastically stated that Dr Zulkafperi is not a native of the area and lacks knowledge of its history, hence making accusations without proper investigation.
"The claim that I was afraid to build the facility is completely baseless. On the contrary, traffic congestion stemmed from the delay in the construction of the West Coast Expressway (WCE).
My proposal back then was for people to continue passing through Tanjong Karang. When they pass the bridge, they will pass through the town of Tanjong Karang.
The original proposal was until Batu 7, and then exit after the New Tanjong Karang Hospital," he said at a special press conference at his office in Pasir Penambang today.
Yesterday, the media reported that Dr Zulkafperi claimed that previous leaders in the area were reluctant to build a bridge for fear that the town would become deserted.
His claim was that the absence of the bridge caused local residents to face severe traffic congestion every day, especially during peak hours and weekends.
Commenting on the delay in the construction of the WCE, Noh said it stemmed from the collapse of the Barisan Nasional (BN) in 2018 and the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government at that time using the original route of the highway project.
"When the WCE was to be built, I saw two things that needed attention. Firstly, the highway entering three Malay villages' lands (Kampung Sungai Gulang-Gulang, Parit Serong, and Datuk Ahmad Razali) causing them to be 'divided in two'.
As a leader, I was concerned that the WCE would be built using the original route and bypass the town of Tanjong Karang," he said.