SEVERAL new initiatives to resolve the congestion issue at the Johor Causeway will be brought to the Cabinet for endorsement, said Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof.

He said the special committee tackling Johor Causeway Congestion had studied and agreed on the implementation of these new initiatives, which would involve a total cost of RM64.2 million.

Among the new initiatives discussed was consolidation of the bus passenger hall at Kompleks Sultan Abu Bakar in Gelang Patah costing about RM25 million, upgrading of new lorry inspection counters at lorry entry zone and Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services (Maqis) inspection bay at an estimated cost of RM30.6 million and the building of new public toilets costing about RM8.6 million.

“Based on the projection of a surge in travellers up by 17.2% every year, a review should be made to strike a balance between the workload of officers and this uptrend,” he told reporters after chairing a meeting of the committee at Parliament today.

Fadillah said the meeting also agreed to the proposed creation of a single entry point at the Malaysia-Singapore border. This proposal would be further fine-tuned by the Home Ministry and other related ministries and agencies before it was brought to the Cabinet.

“If agreed upon, a technical committee will then be formed to discuss the feasibility of its implementation with Singapore, because it involves legal amendments and requires the agreement and cooperation of Singapore,” he said.

He said the meeting was also updated on the status of the proposed setting up of the Single Border Agency (SBA) as a long-term plan to increase management efficiency at the country’s entry points.

“The government expects SBA to be implemented in stages beginning January 2024,” he said.

He said SBA would provide for more coordinated management, efficient enforcement and control as well as enhanced integrity in managing entry points.

On the implementation of 23 existing initiatives at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Immigration, Customs and Quarantine (ICQ) Complex and Kompleks Sultan Abu Bakar, he said it had achieved 62% completion. – Bernama, March 6, 2023.