Month: April 2022

KUALA LUMPUR, April 25 (Bernama) — All rest and service areas (R&R) and lay-bys along the North-South Expressway will be opened 24 hours daily to meet the needs of travellers during the Aidilfitri celebration

PLUS Malaysia Berhad (PLUS) chief operating officer, Datuk Datuk Zakaria Ahmad Zabidi said in anticipation of the huge volume of traffic, there will be additional mobile toilet facilities and water tankers at R&Rs and lay-bys.

“To manage traffic at rest areas, PLUS is also getting the assistance of RELA personnel,” he said in a statement here today.

He said in the event of over-crowding that disrupts the traffic along the highway, some rest areas would be temporarily closed to manage the congestion and would be re-opened once the crowd has dispersed.

Apart from that, there are 109 petrol stations along PLUS expressway to facilitate families to grab a quick snack and for toilet breaks while refueling their vehicles.

PLUS expects more than two million vehicles on its network of highways from April 29 to May 9.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KLANG, April 25 (Bernama) — Leave for 2,200 officers and personnel from the Road Transport Department’s (RTD) enforcement division nationwide will be frozen during the implementation of Op Hari Raya Aidilfitri (Op HRA) 2022.

RTD senior director of enforcement Datuk Lokman Jamaan said of the total, 300 personnel and officers were working in Selangor.

He added that the special operation from April 29 to May 8 would focus on enforcement and advocacy to reduce the rate of road accidents during the Aidilfitri celebration.

He also said all enforcement staff would be tasked to carry out comprehensive monitoring in all areas identified as hotspots for accidents and congestion, and conduct bus inspections at depots, highways and main roads.

“Apart from that, Op HRA also focuses on special operations for motorcycles, random disguises as bus passengers and compliance with the use of temporary licences,” he told reporters after conducting a bus inspection at the Sani Express Bus Depot in Klang Sentral here today.

Lokman said RTD has inspected 50 per cent of the 77 bus depots nationwide and so far, all buses were found to be in good condition to operate.

“We carry out inspections on brakes, engine, ventilation and wiring to see whether they are working properly or not. So far, no enforcement action has been taken,” he said.

He also said that RTD expects over 14 million vehicles would hit the road during the festive season, with two million of them to be on the highway at any one time.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KAJANG, April 25 (Bernama) — The Ministry of Education (MOE) will be issuing guidelines to teachers on ’live’ streaming on social media when conducting teaching and learning in the classrooms.

Senior Education Minister, Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin said some of the recordings gave an emotional impact on the students and pupils in the schools.

“So, we are detailing what is the most appropriate approach, and we have also informed teachers to avoid such acts as it has a major impact (on students),” he told reporters after the Generational End Game Anti-Smoking 18 (GEGAR-18) programme at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bandar Seri Putra, here today.

Also present was Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

On a separate issue, Radzi said the ministry is in the process of identifying the root cause of why teachers are opting for early retirement.

However, he added there had been no significant change in the number of retired teachers over the past six years.

“Our data shows that there is not much difference between the trend in 2017 and this year. We are only further identifying the cause of teachers retiring early. We will provide a more in-depth explanation soon,” he added.

Previously, UMNO deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said the report by the National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) estimated over 10,000 teachers have been submitting their papers annually for early retirement over the last few years.

This figure far exceeds the Education Ministry’s statistics and the matter deemed is worrying.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

MELAKA, April 25 (Bernama) — The Melaka Road Transport Department (JPJ) will be stepping up its Op Poket in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidilfitri to crack down on errant motorists.

Melaka JPJ director Muhammad Firdaus Shariff said enforcement officers would be looking out for common offences like queue jumping and using handphones while driving, especially at congested locations in town areas.

“The Motorcycle Enforcement Unit (UPB) will also be conducting patrols, and this Op Poket is partly aimed at reducing traffic congestion,” he told reporters at the Melaka JPJ headquarters in Bukit Katil here today.

He said a similar strategy would be used for the bigger scale Op Hari Raya Aidilfitri (Op HRA) 2022 from April 29 to May 8, by focusing on common offences like jumping the red light, speeding and driving in the emergency lane.

Other offences include overtaking on double lines, not wearing safety belts, overloading and carrying dangerous cargoes.

“About 50 enforcement officers will go undercover as passengers of express buses to all destinations in the peninsula to ensure express bus drivers abide by the regulations.

“About 250 JPJ personnel will be on duty during Hari Raya Aidilfitri, including those in the office and doing inspections on the ground,” he said.

He said JPJ has identified 12 accident hot spots, with five in Melaka Tengah district, Alor Gajah (four) and Jasin (three), involving Lebuh Alor Gajah-Melaka-Jasin (AMJ), Jalan Umbai-Sungai Udang, Jalan Rembia-Kendong, Jalan Sungai Udang-Lubuk China, Jalan Melaka-Muar and Jalan Tehel-Bemban-Chabau.

He also said Melaka JPJ would hold an in-person auction on May 18 involving 30 vehicles of various makes, with the most expensive being a Honda Civic priced at RM11,900 and the cheapest a Proton Saga valued at RM337.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, 25 April (Bernama) — Upgrading and replacement work for 306 lifts at People’s Housing Projects (PPR) and Public Housing (PA) projects have been conducted since 2020 and is expected to continue until 2024.

A statement from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) stated that the work, which is being conducted in phases, involved a cost of RM169.6 million and will take another two years to finish.

“In addition to the replacement of lifts, scheduled maintenance and monitoring of lifts are conducted by existing contractors on site, who are also responsible should the lifts suffer damage,” the statement read.

According to the statement, the first phase involves 12 housing areas, PA Seri Kota, PA Seri Sabah 3A, PA Seri Sabah 3B, PPR Desa Petaling, PPR Salak Selatan, PPR Seri Anggerik, PPR Sg Bonus, PA Hang Tuah, PA Loke Yew, PA Seri Selangor, PPR Bukit Jalil 1 and PPR Bukit Jalil 2.

“A total of 104 lifts are being replaced and work will be completed by the end of this year,” the statement read.

Phase two will involve 109 lifts in 10 areas, PPR Raya Permai, PPR Seri Malaysia, PA Seri Perak, PPR Seri Alam, PA Kerinci 1A, PPR Kerinci, PPR Seri Cempaka, PPR Kg Muhibah, PPR Semarak and PA Seri Tioman.

Phase three will involve 18 lifts at PPR Desa Tun Razak and PA Seri Sarawak, while phase four will involve 48 lifts at PPR Batu Muda, PPR Laksamana, PPR Perkasa and PPR Pekan Kepong.

Phase five meanwhile involves three areas, PPR Bukit Jalil (Blok L,M,G & H), PA Seri Terengganu dan Seri Pangkor (1 & 2) with 27 lifts slated for replacement.

Batu MP P. Prabakaran had earlier claimed that the project announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob in October last year had yet to show any signs of even starting.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency