Is it a fair deal?

Immediate effect: Lim says that with the buyout, highway users will immediately start paying lower toll rates, according to the congestion charges that will save the RM180mil annually. — Bernama

THE proposed highway buyout deal of the four highways owned by Gamuda Bhd may have its merits, but some questions remain unanswered. One question is whether the government is overpaying for the assets. Then, there is the worry that the government will end up having to fork out more money than the RM6.2bil price tag in the future to ensure the said highways remain ‘de-tolled’.

A week ago, the Finance Ministry made a RM6.2bil offer to take over Lingkaran Trans Kota Holdings Bhd and three other toll concessionaires linked to Gamuda. The highways are Kesas Holdings Bhd, Sistem Penyuraian Trafik KL Barat Holdings Sdn Bhd (Sprint), Syarikat Mengurus Air Banjir & Terowong Sdn Bhd (Smart) and the Damansara-Puchong Highway (LDP).