More than 1,000 residents of Bandar Baru Sri Petaling face the prospect of vehicles streaming past their homes - as close as two metres away in some instances - along the 26km KL-Putrajaya elevated highway when it is completed.

Vociferous against the project are a group of residents, some not directly affected but who want to show solidarity, who deem that the Malaysian Highway Authority, KL City Hall and the Works Ministry have abandoned them.

The stretch will run parallel to Jalan 2/149 where there are some 200 houses. It is also claimed that the proximity of the highway to the houses breaches the guideline for a 19m buffer zone. (Diagram below)

Residents' representative Lau Kien Foh said they have been against the project since the concession was signed in October 1997, but that their efforts seem to have borne little fruit. Seputeh MP Teresa Kok's intervention has not been successful either.

"About two weeks ago, affected residents sent about 200 faxes over the space of three days to the office of Works Minister S Samy Vellu. We got a response from the office requesting us to stop sending the faxes," he said.

"We did so but with the agreement that the office should come back to us with a date for an appointment with the minister. Today, when I contacted the office, I was told that he's going abroad and is not available for a meeting."

Samy Vellu's office and the Public Works Department have yet to respond to malaysiakini's requests for comment.

Billion-ringgit project

The residents have set up a website documenting their predicament and chronology of events, as well as mobile phone text message responses from Samy Vellu to Kok.

Among Samy Vellu's responses was this: "YB Teresa, no one can stop this RM1.3 billion project. The road is within our ROW (right of way). Any attempt to stop work means heavy compensation. Sorry."

The minister also justified the project by saying, in his Aug 8 text message that the land had been acquired before the houses were built.

"This project was there before the housing project. This is neither a new acquisition nor a new project. The government has paid heavy compensation to do this alternate protocol dedicated highway.

Another of his text messages read: "No further delay or meeting with anyone will be allowed. The job will go on. Sorry."

According to Lau, the residents were led to believe that the project had been shelved at a time when additional housing units were built. Unsuspecting buyers purchased units only to find out later that work on the project would proceed.

"They have already started piling works. This has caused cracks in two houses. We are really concerned that we have not had a direct response from the government and we're now seeking the PM's intervention," added Lau.