We Want Toll Free Cheras-Kajang Expressway

Prime Minister Najib Razak, during a breaking of fast function at 14^th Miles, Hulu Langat on the 21^st August 2011 announced that he will instruct Works Ministry to study the possibility of scrapping one of the two Cheras-Kajang Expressway tolls located at Cheras Batu 9 (RM1.00) and Cheras Batu 11 (RM0.90). The announcement is indeed a ray of hope for DAPAT Dusun Tua members as well as the road users especially the Cheras folks suffered of paying 2 tolls in the short distant of less than 4KM for the past 12 years.

DAPAT Dusun Tua initiated the ‘The Sufferings of Cheras Folks, We Don’t Want Toll!’ signature campaign to collect 100,000 signatures to be sent to Najib Razak beginning 12^th June 2011.

As the Chief of DAPAT Dusun Tua and a Cheras folk as well, I am glad that the Prime Minister heard our plea and welcome the proposal by the Prime Minister to scrap the Grand Saga toll. The announcement tagged by the public as a General Election’s gimmick as the polls are around the corner. Anyway, we don’t mind even if it is Barisan Nasional’s gimmick to woe votes but we hope the Prime Minister keep his words and act fast. Our objective is to ease the peoples’ burden as promised in our manifesto, no matter who and how it is done. We hope the message will be sent to the Works Ministry as soon as possible so that the abolishment of the toll will be carried out soon. Besides, we demand that the abolishment of both tolls shall be carried out as Grand Saga has made a fortune in the past 12 years and that the one and only way to ease the peoples’ burden financially and mentally because with the abolishment of the two tolls, it will also ease the traffic congestion in the residential area as the vehicles will not take trunk route to avoid the tolls. Residents living in the residential areas such as Taman Suntex, Taman Fern Groves, Taman Rasa Sayang, Taman Sri Aman, Taman Cheras Perdana and its surroundings are suffering.

The Cheras-Kajang Expressway was built and operates by Grand Saga Sdn Bhd in the year of 1997 with the construction cost of RM286 Mil. The Malaysian government had in the past 12 years given compensation of RM105.15 Mil to the concession. It is estimated that Grand Saga had recovered their costs and even made a huge profit base on the estimation of 200,000 vehicle trips per day.