By Alang Bendahara
SHAH ALAM, July 27 — The redevelopment of the Shah Alam Sports, which includes the Shah Alam Stadium, will complement the current development in its surrounding area in Section 13, here.
Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari said the state government wants the redevelopment plan to create better facilities and living environments for the residents in Shah Alam.
“We want an inclusive development of the areas surrounding the Shah Alam Sports Complex so that the redevelopment plan would complement the existing development in Section 13. The redevelopment plan will include new residential and commercial buildings.
“We will position the Shah Alam Stadium as the main attraction of the area and link it to the existing and new facilities such as the Light Rail Transit (LRT3) station that will be completed in the third quarter of 2025,” he replied to a question from Sungai Tawar state assemblyman Datuk Rizam Ismail on the Shah Alam Stadium redevelopment during the Selangor State Legislative Assembly here today.
He also responded to similar queries from other state assemblymen namely Dato’ Mohd Imran Tamrin (Sungai Panjang), Mohd Najwan Halimi (Kota Anggerik), Datuk Rosni Sohar (Hulu Bernam), Dr Daroyah Alwi (Sementa) and Zakaria Hanafi (Semenyih).
Meanwhile, Amirudin said the redevelopment plan would be able to change the negative perception of the public on the dilapidated state of the Shah Alam Stadium after the state government stopped funding for its maintenance and repairs.
He said after the Selangor government handed over a Letter of Intent (LOI) to the Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd (MRCB), the company has about six months to submit a detailed proposal on the redevelopment plan, which would be in early 2023.
“We chose MRCB due to its experience in the restoration of the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in 2017. Also, the company is financially stable as one of its main shareholders is the Employee Provident Fund (EPF), which has investment assets of RM1.02 trillion,” he said.
MRCB was appointed after a rigorous selection exercise, which saw 15 other companies taking part, including international-linked and other public-listed companies.
He added the decision for the new development plan was decided following long and thorough deliberation in 2013.
Amirudin stated that the state government has requested MRCB to try to speed up the redevelopment of Shah Alam Stadium, even though it is anticipated to be finished in 2026.
“Based on MRCB’s previous performance, the company managed to restore the Bukit Jalil National Stadium within a year and three months, so we asked them to try to speed it up.
“However, we will also keep an eye on the crucial reconstruction components, like the field, to make sure they are completed properly and effectively. This is because we can see from the previous flooding incident at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium field, which we want to avoid,” he said.
Amirudin said the 28-year-old Shah Alam Stadium has suffered damages, including to the changing rooms, electrical supply and spectator seats, when it was hit by floods on three occasions – 2006, 2015 and last year.
He said from 2008 to 2018, the state government had spent RM56 million on repair, refurbishment and its surrounding facilities, which cost an average of some RM5 million to RM6 million per year, while it was under the management of the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) before being handed over to Darul Ehsan Facilities Management (DEFM).
The Shah Alam Stadium was built at a cost of RM400 million and was inaugurated on July 16, 1994.
On July 15, Amirudin said the refurbishment of the Shah Alam Stadium will be inspired by the Ajax Amsterdam Stadium, with a capacity of about 60,000 to 70,000 spectators.
/ends
