KUALA LUMPUR: The government is aware of the deplorable condition of some highways in Malaysia, and has therefore approved additional funding for the upgrade and maintenance of roads in the country.
“The Finance Ministry has approved an additional funding of RM200 million from the original RM610 million which was originally (allocated).
“The rest of the funds will be disbursed to the ministry in stages,” Works Minister Baru Bian told the New Straits Times today.
He was responding to an NST article on March 23 titled ‘Potholes, bad roads still a bane’, which highlighted the poor state of roads nationwide.
Baru said that funds will initially be disbursed for federal roads that are in critical need of repairs for safety reasons.
“With this additional funding, the ministry can focus on roads that need (immediate) fixing for safety reasons; and also (carry out) a backlog of maintenance works,” he said.
Baru added that RM150 million has been allocated for pavement maintenance; RM40 million for routine maintenance; and RM10 million for slope maintenance, with a focus on roads in Sarawak, Sabah and Labuan.
“The Works Ministry wants to thank the Finance Ministry for their support in helping us provide better service to road users of this country.
“We are also grateful to the media for highlighting the concerns of the rakyat regarding our road conditions; and we want them to know that we will do our best to give the best service for the people,” Baru said.