JOHOR BARU: The system at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) checkpoint at Sultan Iskandar Building here would be upgraded to improve its delivery system and ease pedestrian traffic.
"I have requested that the authorities look into improving the efficiency at this southern gateway, which will include car and motorcycles parking areas to make it easy for pedestrians," Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said at a news conference after an official visit to the CIQ at Bukit Chagar here yesterday.
Muhyiddin said a special task force would be formed under the Public Works Department to look into improving the current system.
"I will give the task force a month to report on any shortcomings of the system, and we will look into any problems based on the report.
"At present, I am satisfied with the system, but it can be further improved. We need to set a new benchmark for this."
On the proposal for a mini CIQ dedicated for pedestrians at the Causeway, Muhyiddin said the issue was not discussed at the closed-door briefing held earlier.
"I wasn't briefed on the issue today (yesterday)," he said, adding that he would be briefed by the committee overseeing the matter at a later date.
Asked about the recent proposal by the Sultan of Johor for the government to revive the aborted plan to replace the Malaysian side of the Causeway with a bridge, Muhyiddin said the matter had not been forwarded to the Federal Government.
Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, who was present, said the agreement for the supply of raw water from the Skudai treatment plant here to Singapore would end next year.
"We are now discussing on the next agreement with them (Singapore)."
Previous reports on the matter had indicated that Johor would start supplying treated instead of raw water to the republic in stages.