RESIDENTS in Kampung Sungai Merab are objecting to the proposed high-speed rail (HSR) and bus rapid transit (BRT) route in the Sepang Local Plan 2035 (Replacement), fearing it will disrupt their village environment.
Sepang Municipal Council (MPSepang) president Dr Ani Ahmad said over 2,000 objections were received from the village in Sepang district alone, making it the single largest cluster of public feedback during a recent hearing on the proposed local plan.
“The residents fear the HSR and BRT lines will be constructed in front of their homes.
“The alignment shown is only indicative,” she told StarMetro after chairing the local council’s monthly full board meeting at its headquarters at Persiaran Semarak Api, Cyberjaya.
Ani said the BRT route was part of a long-term plan to support future population growth and improve public transport access between suburban areas and Putrajaya.
“We have to show these future corridors in the local plan to ensure proper integration.
“But it doesn’t mean construction is immediate,” she said, adding that most of the objections to the draft plan were related to the HSR and BRT.
A total of 2,556 objections were received during a public hearing on the replacement local plan, including from landowners requesting changes in land use zoning. The session was held on Aug 25 at Semarak Hall in Cyberjaya.
“Some owners also want to convert their plots from residential to industrial use, especially in areas that are still undeveloped,” said Ani.
“We assess these based on the overall suitability. If the surrounding lots are still residential, we cannot allow isolated conversion for industrial use.”
She said the objections would be reviewed by a technical committee within MPSepang and brought to the state planning committee on Sept 22 for a final decision, before the plan was gazetted.
The draft also identifies northern and southern Cyberjaya as zones for future data centre expansion.
“There are already 31 data centres approved in Cyberjaya.
“Some landowners in other parts of Sepang have requested zoning changes to allow for data centre development. These will be considered on a case-by-case basis.”
At the meeting, Ani also said MPSepang has approved 29,575 business licences as of end of July.
“Enforcement operations carried out so far have seen 668 premises inspected, with 262 issued with notices for various violations.
“From these, 28 cases were referred to the Immigration Department because our officers could not verify the documentation of the workers involved,” she said.
“If they confirm that the workers’ status is not legal, we can take action on the licence holder,” she elaborated.
Ani said violations commonly included operating outside permitted scope, obstructing walkways or unhygienic conditions.
In terms of licensing policy, she reaffirmed that hawker permits were only issued to Malaysians.
“We don’t license foreign nationals to operate stalls,” she said.
“However, we do encounter cases where locals hold the licence but sublet to foreigners.
“This is not allowed, and we take action when detected,” she added.
Follow-up action will continue, including notice issuance, potential licence cancellations and referrals to other enforcement agencies.
“We want all businesses in Sepang to operate in an orderly and lawful manner,” said Ani.
