DAMANSARA Utama residents do not want the Damansara ? Puchong Highway (LDP) to be expanded into their residential area along Jalan SS21/44, which is adjacent to the highway.

Linkaran Trans Kota Holdings Bhd (Litrak) had announced that it would spend RM84mil to upgrade the Taman Tun Dr Ismail Interchange at Km6.8 (The Star. Aug 29)

The plan is to buil a flyover leading to Taman Tun Dr Ismail and this was unveiled to residents during a meeting on Aug 30 between PJ Utara MP Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun, representatives of the Damasara Utama Residents and Owners Association (DUROA) and officers from Litrak.

The plan calls for the removal of the entire stretch of greenery between the residents? homes and the highway and push the sound barrier back up to the trunk road.

DUROA president Mohd Pancha Abdullah said the officers gave the excuse that the highway was only mean for 50,000 cars a day but the road was now being used by 100,000 cars a day.

"All these roads used to be residential raods before they made it into a highway, that's why they have a problem now," said Mohd Pancha.

"Don't just pass the problem to the residents. The government should build another highway and divert traffic away from the LDP instead of letting litrak expand their highway."

Several residents claimed past experiences with Litrak as the reason for the early protest.

"Although they have said they will not start work they have said they will not start work without consulting us, they had already done surveys in the area and placed markers all along the roads a moth before meeting with us," said DUROA secretary Rajes Patel.

"When we asked the surveyors then what they were doing, they said it was for pipe laying. Now, Litrak says they want to build a flyover."

J.H.Yong said that prior to the wall being built, Litrak's own surveyors had already said the noise pollution was hazardous to helth. "Now that they want to take it down to build this flyover, it will be worse," said Yong.