Johor’s land checkpoints gear up for Raya

All set: Early steps have been taken by the Immigration Department in anticipation of the heavy traffic volume at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar checkpoint in Johor Baru near the Causeway (pictured here) and KSAB near the Second Link. — THOMAS YONG/The Star

JOHOR BARU: Johor’s two land checkpoints will be fully operational starting this weekend to ensure smooth Immigration clearance as Hari Raya draws near.

Johor executive councillor Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh said the Immigration Department was acting ahead in anticipation of heavy traffic at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) at the Causeway and Kompleks Sultan Abu Bakar (KSAB) at the Second Link.

“All vehicle lanes and manual counters will be activated on our side. The contra-flow lanes will also be activated depending on the direction (inbound or outbound) of congestion.

“The SOP is similar to last year’s, just that this time we have ironed out the technical issues as much as possible, such as the MBike and gantry systems for smoother clearance,” he told The Star.

The state works, transport, infrastructure and communication committee chairman said over 1,000 Immigration personnel would be on duty at both checkpoints with leave frozen for the festive season.

Mohamad Fazli also pledged to keep close tabs on the department to monitor the situation and react quickly if issues arose.

In a statement yesterday, state Immigration director Baharuddin Tahir said the department expected an increase in travellers at the two land checkpoints this festive period, compared to Hari Raya last year.

In 2023, 357,265 travellers entered Johor via BSI and KSAB across three days, from Hari Raya eve till the second day.

“We expect to see more people entering Johor in the same period this year based on the significant rise in daily travellers at the two checkpoints,” he added.