RESIDENTS affected by the permanent closure of Jalan Tanjung, Petaling Jaya, are urging Selangor government to intervene and reopen the road.
The road has been closed since July 25, following a court order on May 28.
The 800m stretch was a temporary road constructed in 1991, cutting across private land belonging to the area’s developer, a neighbouring developer and the Malaysian Highway Authority.
At the time, all parties agreed that it would serve as a temporary access route for residents in the nearby neighbourhoods to reach Bandar Utama with ease.
As part of the arrangement, the neighbourhoods’ developer was to construct an alternative permanent road, after which Jalan Tanjung would be closed and the land returned to its respective owners.
However, the alternative road was never built and Jalan Tanjung continued to serve the growing local population for over 30 years.
Following the closure of the road last month, a pro-tem committee comprising about 14 residents’ associations in the vicinity of Jalan Tanjung is now calling on the state government to acquire the private land and gazette the road as a public road.
The pro-tem committee chairman Ravindra Kumar Rengasamy said the issue first surfaced around 1998 or 1999, when the neighbouring developer wanted to reclaim its land.
“After much push-back, the matter went to the Court of Appeal, which on May 28 ruled that the road be closed permanently,” he said during a residents' meeting at 28 Residency community hall yesterday.
“The road was then blocked off with a trench and concrete barriers on July 25.
“We learnt that the state had initiated the land acquisition process.
“As such, we urge our elected representatives, namely Damansara MP Gobind Singh Deo and Bandar Utama assemblyman Jamaliah Jamaluddin to press the state to expedite the acquisition process,” he added.
Ravindra also said that the area had changed significantly over the past few decades, making the original agreement outdated and impractical.
One of the affected residents, Mandy Pang said her daily school run has taken a turn for the worse.
“I live in Tropicana Golf and Country Resort. My daughter goes to SMK Bandar Utama 3, which is only 860m from my house.
“It used to take me only five minutes to reach her school via Jalan Tanjung.
“After the road closure, the journey to school is 9.5km and takes me about 25 minutes.
“I calculated that it would cost me an additional 15 hours on the road and an extra full tank of fuel on average every month for school run alone,” said Pang.
She said many other residents were in similar predicament and frustrated over the road closure.
