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ISKANDAR PUTERI – Over 12 million travellers were recorded entering and leaving Johor using the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex of Sultan Iskandar Building (BSI), Johor Baru, and the CIQ at Sultan Abu Bakar Complex (KSAB), Gelang Patah, since the border reopening on April 1.
Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said of the total, the Immigration Department (JIM) recorded some 6.3 million Malaysians and 2.3 million foreigners travelled through CIQ BSI from April 1 to June 14.
Some 2.7 million locals and 704,000 foreigners travelled through the CIQ KSAB during the same period, he said this in reply to a question by Chen Kah Eng (Stulang-PH) at the state assembly sitting at the Sultan Ismail Building in Kota Iskandar, here, today.
Onn Hafiz said that the average entry and exit statistics of Malaysians and travellers at CIQ BSI were 138,000 people a day and 28,000 at CIQ KSAB.
“For the same period, 42.9% of Malaysians used buses to pass through CIQ BSI, 15.2% travelled by car, 38.1%, and 3.7%. For non-citizens, 38.6% used buses, 54.7% (by car), 6.6% (motorcycle) and 0.1% (lorry).
“In the same period, at CIQ KSAB, 6.2% of Malaysians travelled by bus, 23.3% by car, 61% by motorcycle and 9.6% by lorry. For non-citizens, the figures were 9.5% in buses, 78.3% in cars, 12.2% on motorcycles and 0.01% in lorries,” he said.
Onn Hafiz said the state government had discussed with all agencies on the sharp increase in the numbers of inbound and outbound users in both places, as well as to increase manpower and personnel capacity at the two CIQs.
He added that overall, a total of 284 exit and entry counters operate at CIQ BSI and 169 counters at CIQ KSAB.
“Currently, CIQ BSI has 38 counters for cars, 50 for motorcycles, 12 for heavy vehicles and 42 automatic and manual counters for buses.
“At CIQ KSAB, there are 24 counters for cars, 25 for motorcycles, 26 for buses and three for heavy vehicles.
“For both entry points, JIM has stationed 1,631 personnel, the Customs Department (722 personnel), Road Transport Department (87 personnel) and police (206 personnel),” he added.
Onn Hafiz said several initiatives would be undertaken by the state government with the support of various state and federal agencies to address the issue of an increased number of travellers in both places.
He said motorcycle lanes would be increased to 75 from the current 50 lanes, while in car lanes, the government would implement the Single Loading Double Capacity system to save drivers time at the counters.
“Also, the merger of the Touch’ n Go facility at the Immigration counters for car lanes is underway and is expected to be completed by February 2023,” he said. – Bernama, June 20, 2022