Government assures proposed highway will be toll-free

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KOTA KINABALU: The government has given its assurance that the proposed Pan Borneo Highway will be toll-free.

Minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal said the privatisation of the Pan Borneo Highway was only for the development project while the maintenance and upgrading works would be under government expenses.

“The Pan Borneo Highway mega project will be developed by capable local companies from Sabah and its maintenance expenses will be under the responsibility of the government.

“Its is different from the highways in Peninsular Malaysia,” he added.

Shafie said this in response to a statement made by Sri Tanjong assemblyman Chan Foong Hin who questioned the government on the alleged privatization of the Sabah section of Pan Borneo Highway by a consortium made up of UEM-MMC.

Chan, who commented on Budget 2015, asked whether the state cabinet agreed to the privatisation of Pan Borneo Highway (Sabah section) by UEM-MMC.

The RM27 billion highway stretches 1,633km across Sabah and Sarawak.

Chan, who is also the Democratic Acti on Party (DAP) Sabah vice chairman, believed the government could not be totally in the dark on the Sabah section of the highway that would be handled by the UEM-MMC consortium which are West Malaysia-based companies.

The Sarawak section will be handled by its local companies.