Sinchew: For Whom The Road Tolls
- From: pluto <pluto@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:19:17 +0800
Sinchew: For Whom The Road Tolls Message List
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For Whom The Road Tolls
http://www.mysinchew.com/node/10651?tid=14
2008-04-29 15:21
They are a group of "warriors", who ensure that the residents enjoy
their basic right ? they have been maintaining a 24-hour vigil at the
Bandar Mahkota Cheras-Bandar Tun Hussein Onn junction, preventing the
toll-free access road from being blocked again as they have just
removed the barricade recently. Residents of Bandar Mahkota have
demonstrated the spirit of mutual assistance and reflected a strong
civil awareness.
Public roads are one of the country's infrastructure and tax payers
have the right to enjoy toll-free access roads. But the right of
Bandar Mahkota Cheras's residents have been deprived for four years.
The residents had no choice but to take a longer route to access the
highway every day as the access road was blocked by highway
concessionaire Grand Saga Sdn Bhd.
According to the contract, despite the Cheras-Kajang Highway has two
toll plazas, but Bandar Mahkota residents will have to pass through
only one and thus, the highway concessionaire does not allow Bandar
Mahkota Cheras developer Narajaya Sdn Bhd to open the access road due
to loss of toll collection, forcing the residents to take a longer
route.
In fact, before the construction of the Cheras-Kajang Highway, the
toll-free access road has been approved by Kajang Municipal Council
but its construction was delayed because of the land acquisition
procedures and it was completed after the highway. The access road was
then been blocked until today.
"Thus, it would require the intervention of the federal government in
order to properly resolve the problem."
The highway concessionaire has no right to stop any property developer
to build access road leading to the highway. Residents of Bandar
Mahkota would ask why they can't use the access road while the
residents of Bandar Tun Hussein Onn can?
The property developer has in fact promised the residents when they
made purchases, that they need only to take a 1.5km distance to Kuala
Lumpur city centre, with no toll fee required. Therefore, it is the
basic right for the resident to use the access road and the highway
concessionaire has no right to deprive their right.
The former Selangor government and the BN federal government did not
try their best to resolve the problem. After the 8 March general
elections and the regime of Selangor has been taken over by Pakatan
Rakyat, the barricade was removed from the access road. But the
residents are still feeling uneasy as the law related problems of the
access road are yet to be settled.
Despite the new Selangor state government bringing the residents the
good news by giving the green light for the opening of the road, the
highway concessionaire said they would have ways to make the residents
to take a longer route to protect the company's interests.
The Pakatan Rakyat State government has promised to support the
residents in solving the problem but the highway contract was signed
between the highway concessionaire and the federal government. Thus,
it would require the intervention of the federal government in order
to properly resolve the problem.
It is now the time for the federal government to review all highway
contracts to ensure the people's interests are not being sacrificed
because of some opaque and unreasonable contract provisions. The main
objective of the government to upgrade roads through privatisation was
for the convenience of the people, instead of giving way to the
highway concessionaire to take advantage of it.
Other than Bandar Mahkota's residents, many residents in Klang Valley
are also victims of unreasonable highway contracts. They still have to
face problems like traffic jam and being forced to take a longer route
even they have paid the toll, which keeps increasing every few years.
It was in fact a strong message conveyed by the people in the recent
general elections that former Selangor government has been voted out
while only one BN MP for Kuala Lumpur was able to retain his seat in
the Parliament. It is the time for BN to listen to the public opinion.
Other than asking the highway concessionaire to open the access road
in Bandar Mahkota, it shall also take the public opinion seriously for
highway projects in the future. It must listen to the public instead
of the highway concessionaire's interests. (By CHONG LIP TECK/
Translated by SOONG PHUI JEE/ Sin Chew Daily)
( The opinions expressed by the writer do not necessarily reflect
those of MySinchew )
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