A group of irate residents from Sri Petaling today called on ministers to spend a night in their houses which are suffering severe cracks due to the construction of a massive highway just metres away.

About 100 of them took their grouses to the Parliament building and staged a demonstration with banners and placards.

Works Minister S Samy Vellu, who was at the Dewan Rakyat, then met them at the gates.

He told reporters later that he had to explain to them why the RM1.3 billion KL-Putrajaya highway must be built.

He said the government would have to fork out a large amount of money as compensation if the elevated highway was put on hold or realigned.

Samy Vellu added that he explained to them that the project should be allowed to proceed for the benefit of the people and the country.

The residents claimed that the highway is sited only 2.3m away from their houses and the piling work is causing severe cracks in the walls.

Disappointing meeting

Contacted later, a representative of the residents, Lau Kien Foh, described the meeting with Samy Vellu as disappointing.

However, Lau said the residents will give the minister the benefit of the doubt.

"Maybe he has not been properly briefed on the matter and maybe after studying our memorandum, reasonableness and rationality will prevail," he added when contacted.

He said the question to be asked by those responsible for the highway is wether they would do something like this to their own houses.

Lau said the residents also told Samy Vellu that if this is not an issue than he and other ministers should spend a night in their houses to experience how it feels to live next to a highway project.

According to him, the minister declined the offer.

No consultation

Lau said the residents are basically frustrated with several issues. The first and foremost being the proximity of the highway to their houses.

"Second, is the lack of consultation. We wrote in our protest in 1997 and did not receive any reply, then suddenly construction started two months ago," he added.

The third, he stressed, is the lack of transparency surrounding the project and the unconcern for the safety of residents.

He said the residents have also approached other leaders such as Backbenchers Club chairperson Shahrir Samad and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz.

Both of them have agreed to look into the matter.

A copy of the memorandum was also submitted to Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang.

Lau also did not rule out the possibility of legal action if all other avenues fail.

The issue in contention is package 5 of the project which starts from Salak South Garden passing through residential areas in Bandar Baru Sri Petaling and ends in Bukit Jalil.

The approximately 1.25km stretch in Bandar Baru Sri Petaling will be an elevated structure to be built on the existing road, Jalan 2/149.

The 26km KL-Putrajaya Highway project stretches from Kampung Pandan roundabout to Putrajaya.