JOHOR BARU, July 16 — The Johor state government’s efforts to relieve congestion at the Johor Causeway here and at the Second Link (Linkedua) in Iskandar Puteri, have succeeded in saving commuters at least two hours of travel time.

Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said the achievement was due to cooperation in the operation of the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex (CIQ) at the Sultan Iskandar Building (BSI) here and the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex (KSAB) in Iskandar Puteri.

He said that previously the journey to enter the state took four hours due to the congestion.

"Thanks to the combined efforts of all parties, we have to some extent succeeded in reducing the congestion time, cutting at least two hours off in the journey.

"Therefore, I hope that by the end of this year we can save at least one more hour,” he said when speaking at the Key Handover ceremony for Type C Affordable Homes at Tanjung Senibong Apartments here today.

Also present was State Housing and Local Government Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor.

Onn Hafiz said the positive development can also drive the state’s economy, increase the confidence of investors and tourists.

He said the real estate sector will also see a positive impact and is expected to grow within one or two years, thus helping the state government to overcome the issue of glut of unsold properties.

Meanwhile, Onn Hafiz hopes that the comprehensive cooperation between Malaysia and Singapore in implementing the study for the establishment of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) also drives economic growth in the state.

In addition, Onn Hafiz said at the same time the state has set a new target to build 30,000 units of affordable housing by 2026, compared to 21,702 units that were targeted before.

He said the target was in line with progress and good cooperation between developers and the Johor State Housing Development Corporation (PKPJ) as well as local authorities, in addition to the factor of high demand.

The construction of affordable housing is also expected not only to focus on the Johor Baru district, but also other districts such as Mersing, Segamat, Batu Pahat and Kota Tinggi. — Bernama