ISKANDAR PUTERI, June 20 — Over 12 million travellers were recorded entering and leaving Johor using the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex of Sultan Iskandar Building (BSI), Johor Bahru, 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 travelling through the 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 Stulang state assemblyman Chen Kah Eng during the Johor State Legislative 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 was 138,000 people a day and 28,000 at CIQ KSAB.
“For the same period, 42.9 per cent of Malaysians used buses to pass through CIQ BSI, 15.2 per cent travelled by car, 38.1 per cent (motorcycle), and 3.7 per cent (lorry), while, for non-citizens, 38.6 per cent used buses, 54.7 per cent (by car), 6.6 per cent (motorcycle) and 0.1 per cent (lorry).
“In the same period, at CIQ KSAB, 6.2 per cent of Malaysians travelled by bus, 23.3 per cent by car, 61 per cent by motorcycle and 9.6 per cent by lorry. For non-citizens, the figures were 9.5 per cent in buses, 78.3 per cent in cars, 12.2 per cent on motorcycles and 0.01 per cent in lorries,” he said.
Onn Hafiz said the state government had discussed with all agencies concerning 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 BIS 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 increased number of tavellers 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
