JOHOR BARU: More than 220,000 visitors are expected to visit the country via Johor's land entry points during Chinese New Year (CNY).
There are about 170,000 entries per day via the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex at the Sultan Iskandar Building (BSI) here and the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex (KSAB) in Gelang Patah.
During the CNY period, an additional 50,000 visitors were anticipated. The state Immigration Department has devised a comprehensive contingency plan to manage the heightened traffic, with the collaboration of several agencies and their Singapore counterparts.
Its director Baharuddin Tahir said to manage the influx of visitors and alleviate congestion to facilitate a smooth immigration process for all, an additional 46 Immigration officers will be stationed at the CIQs Complex in BSI and KSAB.
"We also had discussions with the police, Customs Department, Public Works Department (PWD), Road Transport Department (RTD), People's Volunteer Corps (Rela), Plus Malaysia Bhd and Touch 'N' Go, among others, to ensure both CIQs at BSI and KSAB operate at their full capacities without any obstacles or hiccups," he said at BSI today.
"In anticipation of increased traffic, a coordination meeting was held to address congestion concerns, resulting in a commitment from all agencies to operate at full capacity between Feb 7 and 12.
"Stringent measures will be enforced, including restrictions on heavy vehicles two days before the new year," he said.
Baharuddin added discussions with Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Immigration and Customs Authority (ICA) were also held to ensure there were no backlogs.
Besides additional staffing, stringent measures will be enforced, including a total ban on heavy vehicles from both CIQs between Feb 9 and 13.
There will be a total restriction on lorries and trailers, except for those with a Customs permit to ferry perishable goods.
The department's 169 and 284 Immigration clearance counters at KSAB at BSI, respectively, will be manned around the clock by officers to clear all modes of transport, including cars, motorcycles, buses and lorries (with permits).
There will be tow-trucks stationed at the CIQ complexes to assist in vehicle break-downs and an additional 12 quick-response task force officers will be stationed at BSI and 20 at KSAB.
He said as CNY falls on a weekend and also coincides with the school holidays, the contingency plans will alleviate congestion and ensure a seamless experience for travellers.
Travellers are urged to log on to the department's social media platforms, which will be continuously updated on the traffic flow, in order to plan their respective journeys.
Baharuddin reminded motorists to adhere to the traffic regulations and not to jump the queue.
He also reminded them to ensure their Touch 'N' Go cards had enough credits and to be patient and respectful of the officers on duty.
"Last year, there were cases of visitors relieving themselves indiscriminately, so I have to remind travellers to use the toilet first before embarking on their journey," he added.
Up to Jan 31 this year, BSI recorded 3.3 million travellers and KSAB had 1.8 million.
With a total of 5.2 million arrivals in January, averaging approximately 170,000 entries per day, it's anticipated that this figure will rise during the CNY period, possibly even exceeding the expected 220,000.