KUALA LUMPUR – Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari should build the “incinerator” slated for Rawang next to his home if he is so confident of its safety, a group of residents opposed to the project have dared the Selangor menteri besar.
Jaringan Rawang Tolak Insinerator (JRTI) reminded Amirudin he had yet to fulfil his promise to engage with Rawang residents through state government subsidiary KDEB Waste Management.
JRTI, in a statement today, said it had been attempting to seek a town hall meeting with Amirudin for over a year on the waste-to-energy (WtE) project.
“(We) are tired of his recycled statements. We would like to ask whether the WtE plant is going to be built next to his home, as this might convince him that it will not cause potential harm.
“If Amirudin is confident that WtE technology is safe, why has he rejected our repeated invitations to come to the ground, meet the residents and be transparent about the project?” JRTI said.
The group reminded Amirudin of his promise to meet residents, made on August 2 last year when campaigning for the Selangor state election in Bandar Seri Coalfields.
The group said Amirudin again promised to meet residents when speaking to the media on September 17 last year, after a groundbreaking ceremony for the Jeram incinerator.
“On November 3, 2023, when we attempted to meet him at another event in Rawang regarding the Rawang-Batang Berjuntai road, he fled the scene,” JRTI said.
The menteri besar’s repeated dodging of residents raises questions about his confidence in the safety of WtE technology, the group added.
It said that while there are both advantages and drawbacks to the technology, the state government has so far only highlighted the advantages to the public.
“Once again, Amirudin, call for a town hall meeting, face your rakyat,” JRTI said.
KDEB’s board of directors reportedly approved the selection of YTL as its strategic partner for the WtE project in Rawang in December 2021.
The proposed RM4.5 billion WtE plant is slated for construction in an area of about 150,000 residents, near Bandar Tasik Puteri, Batu Arang, Kota Puteri, M Residence, and Bandar Seri Coalfields.
It will handle 2,400 tonnes of rubbish collected by municipal councils and generate 58 megawatts of electricity a day, which would be sold to Tenaga Nasional for the national grid.
Selangor exco Ng Swee Lim said in November last year that the selection process for the project had begun in November 2019.
Ng also said it was incorrect to call the plant an incinerator and that many developed countries are now using WtE plants to deal with municipal rubbish while generating electricity. – January 23, 2024