EXCO DENIES TAPAH TRAFFIC DISPERSAL PROJECT DUE TO BY-ELECTION, IT'S 95 PCT COMPLETED

IPOH, April 16 (Bernama) -- The implementation of the traffic dispersal project in Tapah is not being carried out because of the Ayer Kuning state by-election scheduled on April 26.

State Infrastructure, Energy, Water and Public Transport Committee chairman, Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, said a study on the implementation of the traffic dispersal project had been conducted by Batang Padang District engineers together with the Public Works Department (JKR) since the middle of last year and the project is now 95 per cent complete.

“We are not doing this work because there is an Ayer Kuning by-election, studies and simulations have been conducted since the middle of last year, it just so happens that there is a by-election while the project is carried out at the same time,” he said.

He said this when replying to a supplementary question by Mohamad Amin Roslan (PN-Pengkalan Hulu) regarding the allocation and traffic dispersal work in Tapah during the question and answer session at the State Legislative Assembly, here today.

Nizar said the traffic dispersal had successfully reduced traffic congestion in the area.

“Many people who used to criticise the state government did nothing, but alhamdulillah today the traffic congestion has improved.

“On April 1, I was in Tapah in the evening and I saw moving traffic, not congestion like before,” he said.

Earlier, when answering the original question by Choong Shin Heng (PH-Chenderiang), Nizar said the project, which involves a shortcut from Federal Road 1 (FT001) to Federal Road 59 (FT 59), had been approved by the Perak State Government under the Perak State Development Allocation 2025 to solve traffic problems in Tapah town.

“The estimated cost of this project is RM 16.533 million. Procurement by the Perak Public Works Department will be implemented by next month at the latest,” he said.

-- BERNAMA