THE standoff between the residents of Bandar Mahkota Cheras and highway concessionaire Grand Saga Sdn Bhd is getting uglier by the day.

The latest incident saw scores of residents injured in a scuffle with unidentified “thugs”. The authorities must act fast to diffuse the situation before matters get out of hand.

While one can sympathise with the residents who feel shortchanged over toll payments, taking the law into their own hands is not the way to resolve the dispute. As legal issues are involved, let the courts decide.

The authorities need a win-win approach to handle this standoff as it seems that no matter how many times Grand Saga puts up barriers, the residents will pull them down in order to avoid paying toll.

Source: NST – May 30, 2008