KUALA LUMPUR: Prasarana Malaysia Bhd is seeking compensation of RM38 million from the developer and site owner of a project that is responsible for the damage to structures near the Bandaraya LRT station.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the amount includes the cost of the repairing works and additional costs borne by Prasarana.
"The costs involved will be claimed from the developer and site owner through legal proceedings," he told a press conference during his walkabout in conjunction with the reopening of the LRT route between Masjid Jamek Station and Bandaraya Station today.
Loke said the instruction from the ministry back then was to repair first before seeking compensation.
"We cannot wait for the legal process to take place before repairs," he said.
The route between the Masjid Jamek and Bandaraya stations had been closed for safety reasons since Jan 27, last year, following structural and track damage near the Bandaraya LRT station.
Previously, it was reported that checks found three viaduct structures and piers were cracked, believed to be caused by ground movement from a nearby construction of a 44-floor hotel.
Loke said Prasarana will continue to monitor the development project as it is located near the Bandaraya station.
"Whether the project will continue or not, is not under our purview but the Kuala Lumpur City Hall.
"Should the project be set to continue, there are strict conditions we need to put in place so that this disruption to the LRT service and structural damage does not happen again.
"We are disappointed that the route between the two stations had to be closed for a year," he said.
He added the incident should serve as a lesson for all to be more careful.
"We urge all local councils to make sure that construction sites near the 250m radius of rail stations or in the Railway Protection Zone (RPZ) take into account safety factors before any approval is given (for future projects) and consultation is done prior to that with Prasarana and the Land Public Transport Agency (Apad) as well.
"Any damage to the structure at the nearby station could affect the operation of public transport services."
Asked if there are elements of negligence from Kuala Lumpur City Hall in giving approval, Loke said;
"The developer did not comply with the conditions issued by starting the project without approval from APAD."
He said according to the procedure, the developer should start construction after getting approval from APAD.
"Before the approval was given by APAD and Prasarana, they had started work. I do not want to blame DBKL on this.
"But the developer did not comply with the conditions and started work before approval from APAD and Prasarana. Hence, this is why we seek cooperation from the local councils and authorities not to allow any construction works (for future projects) to begin before they obtain the approval," he said.