Four DAP parliamentarians today said they will send a letter to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad asking him to explain the government's RM2 billion Storm Water Management and Road Tunnel (Smart) project to tackle flood woes in Kuala Lumpur.

The letter follows the complaint by one of the MPs - Teresa Kok (Seputeh) - that she was denied a copy of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report when she requested it from the Irrigation and Drainage Department last week.

The other MPs who inked the letter are Dr Tan Seng Giaw (Kepong), Fong Kui Lun (Bukit Bintang) and Tan Kok Wai (Cheras).

Speaking at a press conference at the Parliament lobby, the four said the letter will be given to the Prime Minister's Department parliamentary secretary Noh Omar while a copy will also be faxed to the premier's office.

Proper briefing

Seng Giaw said the government should conduct a proper briefing on the project for all MPs - especially for those in Selangor and the Federal Territory.

The DAP vice-president also called on the government to come clean on the project, which was announced following a flash flood which wreaked havoc on the city in June.

"Why so secretive about this project? It would affect half a million of people and I urge the government to immediately release the relevant information," he said.

Also calling for transparency, Kok Wai revealed that 1,500 squatters were evicted due to the project which will take up more than 100 hectares of land.

"This is a matter of grave public interest but the EIA report remains a mystery," said the Cheras MP.

'Illegal project'

Meanwhile, the Seputeh MP warned that if the EIA report is not made public than the project - which comprises a 9.7km single-bore tunnel to divert the Ampang river water - would tantamount to being illegal.

She also took the Irrigation and Drainage Department to task for rejecting her request for a copy of the report, saying it was not obligated to "entertain requests from politicians".

Kok also reiterated her questions on whether there ware any 'hidden agendas' since she was informed that only a preliminary EIA report has been completed on the Smart project.

On her next move, the opposition MP said she will wait for the Agriculture Ministry - which oversees the department - to respond to her questions next week.

Kok had raised the issue in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday during the debate on the 2004 budget. All ministries are required to respond to the queries raised by MPs during the debate next week.