PETALING JAYA (Jan 5): Following an open tender exercise launched in November last year, MyHSR Corp Sdn Bhd has awarded the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) contract for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (KL-SG HSR) project to ERE Consulting Group Sdn Bhd.

“The appointed consultant will be responsible to assess the possible social impact arising from the three phases of the KL-SG HSR project, which encompasses the pre-construction, construction and operational phase,” said MyHSR Corp CEO Datuk Mohd Nur Ismal Mohamed Kamal in a statement.

“They will analyse all the feedback received from the public inspection exercise and will be conducting additional surveys and focus group discussions along the alignment.”

“From the assessment, effective mitigation measures will be formulated in order to further minimise any identified social impacts to the affected communities.

“MyHSR Corp will continue to work closely with PLANMalaysia for the preparation of the SIA study and is committed to adopt the highest standards for the development of the project in a safe and sustainable manner,” he added.

The study will also include a heritage impact assessment to ensure that the project complies with the relevant policies and plans.

According to the statement, ERE Consulting Group has experience in conducting social impact assessments for equivalent projects such as the Sungai Buloh-Kajang MRT Line, the Sungai Buloh-Serdang-Putrajaya MRT Line, and the East Coast Rail Link Phase 1 and Phase 2.