Thursday, May 8, 2008

Residents and FRU in stand-off over barricade

Thursday May 8, 2008

By GEETHA KRISHNAN and RASHITA A. HAMID

KAJANG: A large group of residents from Bandar Mahkota Cheras and Sungai Long in Kajang gathered to protest against the closure of a road that leads to both housing areas.

The residents said the action of the Cheras-Kajang Highway concessionaire, Grand Saga, to place concrete barriers at the road greatly inconvenienced them.

The closure of the road meant that residents had to pay toll and take a longer route to get to their homes.

Residents had demolished the barriers on April 21, two years after it was put up by Grand Saga, which has maintained that it had right of way over the road.

Yesterday evening, the concessionaire put the barriers back in place. The angry residents had gathered earlier yesterday to prevent the concessionaire from the placing the barriers.

Tensions ran high when the residents had a stand off with Federal Reserve Unit personnel, who were on standby.

The standoff also caused a traffic jam along the highway in the evening.

The Selangor Government is still waiting for a report from the State Survey and Mapping Department to determine the question of right of way.

Grand Saga business development and corporate affairs executive director Zainal Abidin Ali, who was at the site, said while he sympathised with the residents for being forced to use a longer route, a new barrier would be erected as the concessionaire was concerned about safety issues.

He said the road was now the subject matter of a lawsuit filed against Grand Saga by township developer Narajaya Sdn Bhd.- The Star

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