Toll restructuring to ease people’s burden — Najib

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PUTRAJAYA: The government yesterday announced the restructuring of toll operations following a review on the transportation costs aimed at easing the people’s burden.

HELPING THE PEOPLE: Najib talks to Shaziman (second left) at the press conference at Perdana Putra building in Putrajaya. — Bernama photo

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said under the restructuring exercise, there would be no hike in the toll rates for the Kuala Lumpur-Karak Expressway and the East Coast Expressway Phase 1 in the next five years.

The exercise also involved the termination of the toll concession for the East-Coast Link Expressway which connects the Salak interchange and Taman Connaught interchange in Kuala Lumpur, expected to take effect in May this year once the documentation process was completed, he said.

This would mean that motorists plying the expressway no longer need to pay toll, he told a news conference in his office, here.

“This is an earlier closure ahead of its expiry date in 2018 and an extension of the proposal to take over the concession’s assets,” he said, adding that the closure would not involve any compensations.

The closure would benefit about 39 million motorists plying the expressway, he said, adding that the exercise showed the government’s determination to find a prudent solution to the toll issue.

“In line with the 1Malaysia, People First, Performance Now concept, I’ve asked toll concessionaires to carry out a review of their respective toll structures to help the government prosper the country and lessen the burden of the people.

“Taking up the government’s call, two corporate figures who are also major shareholders of a toll concessionaire, came forward with a toll restructuring proposal involving the acquisition of concession’s assets, a move that will give a major impact to the people,” he said.

The concessionaire for the Kuala Lumpur-Karak Experssway and East Coast Expressway Phase 1 is MTD Prime Sdn Bhd while the concessionaire for the East-West Link Expressway, connecting the Salak interchange and Taman Connaught interchange, is Metramac Corporation Sdn Bhd.

On the decision to do away with the toll rates hike for the two expressways, Najib said the concession would not be renewed and that there would be no compensations given by the government.

“I’m also calling on other toll concessionaires to take the cue from these initiatives for the benefit of the people,” he said.

He also said that the exercise was not an abrupt move, saying he had previously asked concessionaires to submit proposals to the government.

“They submitted numerous proposals to the government. We accept what we can accept and implement it straight away. As for the rest, we are still looking into them.

“Whatever is ready, we go ahead (and implement it) first. We don’t have to wait for all the rest,” he said.

Asked whether the initiatives would also be extended to other expressways such as the North-South Expressway, which is under PLUS Expressway Berhad and a major highway in the peninsula, Najib said the matter was also under the government’s consideration.

“Let’s do it one by one. There is still more; I’ve got more announcements coming up,” he said.

In the 2011 Budget tabled in October last year, Najib announced a five-year freezing of toll rates on four highways owned by PLUS Expressways.

Present at the news conference was Works Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor. — Bernama