LLM: Toll Rates For Eight Highways May Stay Put

PETALING JAYA: After considering the economic prospects for next year, the Cabinet is expected to once again request the concessionaires of eight highways in the country not to adjust the toll rates upward by 10% beginning 1 January 2009.

Tolls for the eight highways should have been adjusted on 1 January 2008, but because of the upcoming elections, the Cabinet forked out RM350 million to compensate the highway concessionaires in order to defer the hikes to 1 January next year.

The eight highways involved are: North-South Highway Seremban-Port Dickson, North-South Highway Central, Kulim-Butterworth, Second Link to Singapore, Ampang-KL Highway, the Western Dispersal Highway, NKVE and Penang Bridge.

With less than 10 days to the new year, director-general of the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) Datuk Mohamad Razali Othman told Sin Chew Daily that the Cabinet had yet to approve the upward adjustment of tolls for the above-mentioned highways.

However he said the contracts with the highway concessionaires would be declassified on 1 January.

Meanwhile, PLUS general manager for public relations and marketing Kalilah said LLM had not approved any toll hike by the company.

She said if no announcements are to be made over the next few days, the toll rates will likely remain on 1 January, adding that the government has to compensate accordingly if the company is not allowed to adjust its toll rates on 1 January.

By HUANG WEIYU/Translated by DOMINIC LOH
Sin Chew Daily
23/12/08
mi1: Barisan Nasional government ???

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