About 20 people from the Salak Selatan new village in Kuala Lumpur staged a protest today against the impending closure of a road which they use to avoid the Sungai Besi-Besraya toll plaza.

The villagers, led by three DAP members of parliament, also held banners which read, ' Hapuskan Tol ' (Do away with tolls) during the protest which began at 9.30am.

Some 20 policemen were present throughout the 30-minute protest but no untoward incident took place.

The parliamentarians present were Teresa Kok (DAP-Seputeh) the villagers are part of her constituency, Tan Kok Wai (DAP-Cheras) and Fong Kui Lun (DAP-Bukit Bintang).

The MPs say the closure of the road would impose a financial burden on the villagers who would have to fork out RM2 daily to enter and exit the village, which houses some 1,600 families.

One resident, Lee Nyok Lan, 55, said the closure of the road will make it difficult for her two daughters who live in Salak South Garden and Happy Garden respectively to have lunch at her house daily.

"They are earning about RM800 a month. How can they afford the toll?" she rued, adding that she hoped the authorities concerned would reconsider their decision.

After the Sungai Besi-Besraya toll plaza was built in 1999, villagers began to use the alternative road about 200m away.

On Monday, a signboard was put up at the entry to the road, stating that it will be closed on Jan 11.

Safety measure

In a related matter, MCA Federal Territory chief Tan Chai Ho together with the local residents association, organised a dialogue session for the villagers at their community hall this morning.

Also present at the 10am meeting were Cheras district police chief Ali Hanafiah, Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA) representative Ismail Md Salleh and officials from Besraya (M) Sdn Bhd, the highway concessionaire.

Ismail told the 100-odd villagers present that the decision to close the road came from MHA and was based on safety reasons as numerous accidents have occurred in the area.

According to him, MHA consulted the relevant authorities and the police have also agreed to the closure.

Ali told the villagers later that safety was the main priority and also expressed his concern over the number of accidents. "Appreciate the lives of your families," he said.

However, the two-hour meeting failed to bring about a resolution as many villagers were adamant that the road remains open.

Tan, who is also deputy minister for energy, communication and multimedia, told the villagers that he will seek a meeting with Works Minister S Samy Vellu on this matter.

He assured the villagers that the road will not be closed until then.