Not giving in to DASH
Over 300 residents protest against construction of highway
ON A hot Saturday morning, more than 300 residents of Mutiara Damansara in Petaling Jaya gathered at a playground in Jalan PJU 7/8 to protest against the construction of Damansara-shah Alam Highway (DASH) scheduled to start middle of this year.
Decked in hand-made cardboard caps, banners and posters, residents vowed that they would go all the way to stop the proposed project from taking place in the well-designed and matured township, which has a population of at least 40,000 people. They also signed a petition against the project.
“We were not consulted on the matter in the first place. This a residential area and not a city for a highway to pass through.
“Why should we compromise environmental, social and safety issues just because it is cost effective to build a highway in this area?” said Mutiara Damansara Owners and Residents Association (Mudora) action committee member Syed Mustapha Ibrahim.
“We are not against any course of development such as highways, but highway concessionaire Projek Lintasan Kota Sdn Bhd (Prolintas) and malaysian highway Authority (MHA) should find an alternative route that will not have an adverse impact on our quality of life,” said the 65-yearold retired military officer.
Wan Badroel Hisham said the authorities concerned should have consulted the residents prior to making a decision on the proposed highway alignment.
“My wife and I have been living here for the past 10 years and it has grown into a beautiful area with lush greenery.
“When the project takes place, it is going to destroy the green lung created by property developer Mutiara Rini,” he said, adding that pollution would affect the residents’ health.
Retired engineer James Ann stressed that the proposed alignment was a violation of peace in the township.
“First, we had a battle against the proposed Klang Valley MRT (KVMRT) project. The elevated rail tracks will be constructed along the main road here. But, we gave in to that.
“Why not let the KVMRT project take place first and assess the traffic congestion, instead of pushing forward another project such as this? ” said 55-year-old Ann, who has been a resident for the past seven years.
At the scene, angry residents were seen shouting “No to DASH”, their voices became louder as Mudora committee members led the protest.
Bukit Lanjan assemblyman Elizabeth Wong, who participated in the event, said Prolintas had made a presentation on the proposed highway alignment during the state executive councillors meeting last month, requesting for immediate approval of the project.
It was rejected as Prolintas had failed to get the residents’ approval.
Mudora president Tony Chung said the association had submitted three letters to MHA opposing the project and seeking further clarification on the matter.
However, MHA had replied stating that the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) would hold further discussions with the residents and identify mitigative steps to be taken by Prolintas.
MHA also stated that it had requested Prolintas to contact Mudora to discuss the matter. The protest ended with a 1km walk by residents.
On Dec 19, Starmetro reported that Mutiara Damansara residents had said a firm no to the proposed highway that would cut through their neighbourhood.
Residents had found out about the proposal to build DASH along Jalan PJU 7/7 and PJU 7/1 when they saw contractors surveying the land in the area.