Minister rejects MIC's call to shift major marathon event out of KL centre

Federal Territories Minister Khalid Abdul Samad has rejected MIC's proposal to shift major events, including the Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon, out of the city centre.

This comes after a car ploughed through safety barriers at the marathon yesterday, injuring three participants with one in critical condition.

"The programme is held for a day once a year, there is no need to change the location.

"If there are problems, we will find ways to overcome them," he told journalists after a court case at the Kuala Lumpur High Court today.

Khalid said an event on the scale of the Standard Chartered Marathon, which attracts 40,000 people, should not be disrupted.

On the hit-and-run incident yesterday, Khalid said an investigation is being conducted to determine the cause and to address them.

Federal Territories MIC chairperson S Rajah had called for the event to be shifted to places like Bukit Jalil or Putrajaya.

"The event yesterday saw the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) closing 26 roads around Kuala Lumpur.

"This causes severe traffic congestion in Kuala Lumpur. DBKL should shift them to Putrajaya or Bukit Jalil where it is less congested," he had said.