Khir Toyo: Selangor faces power shortage

By CHRISTINA TAN

SHAH ALAM: Selangor may face a power supply shortage in three to four months if the state government continued to drag its feet over the Central Area Reinforcement (CAR) project in Rawang, claimed the state opposition chief.

Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo said the state government should not allow industries to suffer millions of ringgit in losses just to please about 20 families affected by the alignment of the high tension towers that will be erected.

“If the state government does not settle the issue fast, Selangor will face a blackout in three to four months time due a shortage of supply.

“It will especially affect major townships in central Selangor like Shah Alam, Klang and Serdang and also hit Putrajaya,” he told a press conference here on Tuesday.

He said Selangor was a developed state with a huge number of industries and thus could not afford a blackout as a one-hour power cut could cause millions in losses.

According to the initial proposal, the cables were to pass through Kampung Terentang but the current state government changed the alignment to have the cables pass through Kampung Sungai Samak, Kampung Sungai Bakap and Taman Tun Perak, he said.

“I understand that TNB will not change its initial plan as the suggestion by the state government was not appropriate and could not be carried out due to technical problems.

“The state government should use the Land Acquisition Act (to acquire the land needed) and allow the TNB to start work as soon as possible,” he said.

Dr Khir, the former Selangor Mentri Besar, said his successor should not leave the issue to TNB as the utility company had no enforcement power and only the state could acquire the land in the name of public interest.

“It is unfair to push the problem and instead affect three areas with more residents,” he said.

He claimed that during his tenure as Mentri Besar, the state government had negotiated with some of the 20 families for one and a half years and some had moved out.

He added that TNB had been willing to pay almost double the actual compensation amount to the affected residents just to stick with the original alignment.