Fadillah said the committee will be in charge of initiatives to alleviate congestion, while the home ministry will serve as its secretariat.

“The government has allocated approximately RM190 million for the initiatives that we plan to implement,” he told reporters here today, adding that there were 23 initiatives at various levels of implementation.

“Among these are the reconstruction of the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex’s (KSAB) bus inspection hall, estimated to cost RM151 million, and upgrades to the marquee inspection bay, at an estimated RM30 million.”

He said more public toilets will be constructed, at a cost of no more than RM8.6 million.

Fadillah said the committee’s secretariat has been given the mandate to seek a “co-located” scenario, whereby inspections on travellers entering the country from Singapore will be carried out by Malaysian agencies based in Singapore.

“We want to raise this proposal to the Cabinet. If approved, a technical committee will be formed, and it will discuss with Singapore whether these initiatives can be implemented.

“If this can be approved, it will be able to facilitate easier movement between Singapore and Malaysia,” he said.

On Jan 20, home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail announced that electronic gate (e-gate) facilities for Johor’s two land entry points at the Sultan Iskandar Building (BSI) and KSAB were open to Singaporeans.

He said the move would benefit up to 50,000 Singaporeans visiting Johor, and that the new measure was one of the short-term solutions aimed at relieving congestion at both checkpoints.