RESIDENTS’ WORST FEARS REALISED
They have been against construction being done around their areas since day one
FOR residents living in Persiaran Alam Damai, Cheras, navigating their vehicles in narrow roads with cranes and heavy machinery at work overhead daily always caused a sense of unease and foreboding.
Yesterday, their worst fears were realised when a gantry crane component collapsed at the Sungai Besi-Ulu Klang Elevated Expressway (SUKE) construction site near Puncak Banyan, Persiaran Alam Damai.
Three foreign workers were killed at the site and a motorist was injured when a steel structure fell on his car.
A Bukit Mandarina Phase 2 Residents Association spokesman, who wanted to remain anonymous, said they had over the years lodged complaints with the authorities, particularly about residents and road users’ safety, since the construction work began.
He claimed their complaints fell on deaf ears.
“We have been against the construction being done around residential areas since day one. We even organised two peaceful assemblies protesting against this in Taman Len Sen,” he said.
He claimed that in one incident, a machinery part fell down in front of the residential area’s guardhouse and narrowly missed the construction workers.
“That piece of equipment was easily 6m long.
“I shudder to think what would have happened if it hadn’t missed the workers.”
He said the area was dense and highly congested. Residents, however, had no alternative but to use the road, he added.
He asked why construction had to be done in the morning when traffic was at its peak.
He claimed that residents were recently informed that some construction would also be done at night.
“How can you have machinery moving overhead when there’s traffic below?
“If you want to do that, then you have to make sure the area is cordoned off. Stop all traffic.”
He said when the construction was eventually approved, residents accepted it on the condition that safety remained a priority during construction.
“Today’s incident is a sad one. I hope no more lives are lost as a result of these incidents.”
A witness to the crash said: “It happened so fast. We couldn’t do anything to help the victims.”
One of the workers said he was standing about 200m from the incident site when he heard a loud noise.
“I saw how the crane fell on a car and saw the driver severely injured.
“We ran to safety. Others attempted to get near to help the victims, but were stopped due to safety issues,” said the 30-yearold foreigner, who wished to remain anonymous.
Another foreign worker said chaos ensued when the crane toppled over.
“We saw the crane crash onto the car below.”
A worker at a factory nearby said he and his colleagues helped to divert motorists away from the site following the incident.