Final decision on Jalan TAR closure before Mar 15 - FT minister

Whatever decision that is taken on the planned partial closure of Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman in Kuala Lumpur will be made known before March 15, Federal Territories Minister Khalid Abdul Samad said today.

According to Khalid, the decision will be based on the feedback from  stakeholders, especially hawkers and traders operating from Jalan Esfahan to Jalan Melayu – the stretch that will be affected by the closure.

“We are still in discussions to arrive at a win-win situation.

"Nevertheless, we will make known the outcome at the latest a week before March 15 (when the partial closure is to be implemented),” he told reporters after making a walkabout and meeting traders in the area.

Khalid said many things had to be considered before arriving at a decision due to the changes taking place and the fact that many of the traders had been operating there for decades.

The minister added that public feedback, via an online survey by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall, would also be taken into consideration before arriving at a decision.

“We have received all kinds of feedback, among them closing the stretch to traffic for certain hours or on specific days only.

“However, priority will be given to the feedback from the traders and hawkers because they have been there for a long time,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur mayor Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan said that 2,400 respondents had taken part in the online survey so far.

“Overall, it is a 50-50 situation from the public whether to close or not,” he said.

- Bernama