I SHARE the concern of many members of the pub-lic who have been writing to the newspapers and reporting to the local authorities illegal gates and roadblocks  across public roads in a number of housing estates in Petaling Jaya. It is very puzzling that the local authorities have yet to take action against such violation of the public’s rights.

I can understand that for security reasons many housing estates have been converted into unofficial “gated and guarded communities”. It will be acceptable to most people if a boom gate and a guard house manned by security guards  is cons-tructed at the entrance of a particular entrance road to a housing estate, and the boom gate opened and closed by the guards as and when required.

However, recently, it has become increasingly common practice for even main entrance public roads to be closed permanently by a locked metal gate denying the public usage.

A case in  point is  one of the two main entrance roads to SS22A in Damansara Jaya, namely Jalan SS22A/4, which is permanently closed by a pair of locked metal gates, with an empty unmanned guard house next to it, hence denying  public access from SS23/8 which is a major road connecting Damansara Utama to Taman Megah.

I therefore urge the Petaling Jaya City Council to take immediate action to reopen the said road which has been illegally closed. I also urge all other local authorities to curb such illegal and selfish acts in their respective areas.

Source: The Sun – March 3, 2010