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The proposed Damansara-Shah Alam Elevated Expressway (DASH) has been put on hold for now - pending a realignment proposal by concessionaire Prolintas - as a result of continuous objections from residents in Mutiara Damansara and Damansara Perdana. The decision was made by Selangor Menteri Besar, Mohamed Azmin Ali, who told Selangor Exco, Elizabeth Wong.

It has been removed from the Petaling Jaya Local Plan 2 (RTPJ2) according to Wong, while residents are aiming to keep it out of the plan permanently. Similarly, the Environment and Traffic Impact Assessments (EIA and TIA) that were carried out are said to be "flawed and outdated."

Say No To Dash (SNTD), a group comprising of residents opposing the DASH highway said that the assessments were supposed to be done by an independent commission, and not commissioned and paid for by the concessionaire, Prolintas. Carried out in 2011 and approved in 2012, the assessments are also claimed to be outdated.

"The EIA remains as it was in 2012, but we have had new roads, new houses, and the MRT here now. How can they say the environment is still the same after all that?" SNTD spokesperson Michelle Wong said.

"Basically this highway has no apparent benefit whatsoever. Why do you need another highway when there will be public transport in the future?" she asked. The group went on to say that the DASH highway would be redundant, reason being that there would be an MRT, which would provide access to the Rubber Research Institute (RRI) in Sungai Buloh and Kota Damasara in the future.

So folks, what do you think of all this?