221,000 VEHICLES EXPECTED TO ENTER MELAKA DURING AIDILFITRI HOLIDAYS

MELAKA, March 27 (Bernama) -- Around 221,000 vehicles are expected to enter Melaka via three toll plazas in the state next week in conjunction with the Hari Raya Aidilfitri holidays.

Melaka police chief Datuk Dzulkhairi Mukhtar said out of the total, 108,000 vehicles are expected to enter through the Ayer Keroh Toll Plaza, followed by Simpang Ampat Toll Plaza (83,000 vehicles) and Lipat Kajang Toll Plaza (30,000 vehicles).

“As the Aidilfitri holidays begin tomorrow (Friday) and continue until April 3, the number of vehicles entering and leaving Melaka is expected to increase significantly through the state’s three main entry points.

“Therefore, Melaka police will step up monitoring to ensure smooth traffic flow and road users are also advised to exercise caution, follow the traffic rules, and be considerate of others,” he told reporters at Jalan Mufti Haji Khalil today after officiating the launch of Op Selamat 24 for Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2025 in Melaka.

Also present at the event was Melaka deputy police chief SAC Ahmad Jefferi Abdullah.

Meanwhile, Dzulkhairi said nearly 500 police officers will be on duty throughout the Hari Raya Aidilfitri holidays in Melaka to conduct crime patrols, traffic monitoring, and enforce Op Selamat 24.

“Only about 20 per cent of police personnel are allowed to take leave during Aidilfitri. This restriction is also due to Melaka being selected as the host for the national-level Hari Raya Aidilfitri Madani Celebration 2025, which will take place on April 5,” he said.

“Of those on duty, 19 senior police officers and 140 junior officers from the Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department (JSPT) will be stationed at high-traffic congestion hotspots and accident-prone blackspots in the state.

“During Op Selamat 22 for last year’s Hari Raya Aidilfitri, a total of 406 road accidents were recorded in Melaka, comprising 385 cases of vehicle damage, 10 cases of minor injuries, seven cases of serious injuries, and four cases of fatality,” he added.

At the same time, he said to date, Melaka police have received 174 return-to-hometown notifications from the public through various platforms, including the Volunteer Smartphone Patrol (VSP) app (56 reports), manual forms at police stations (5 reports), and the MERS 999 hotline (113 reports).

-- BERNAMA