JOHOR BARU, Dec 14 — Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi today called for upgrade works at Sultan Iskandar Building’s (BSI) Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex to be postponed to avoid the peak period due to school holidays.

The month-long closure of several bus zone counters and automatic lanes (e-gate system) starting tomorrow will also overlap with the coming school holidays starting this Saturday.

"I have requested that these works be postponed until the end of the school holidays,” he said in a brief statement on his official Facebook today.

The two-week school holidays start this Saturday and ends on January 1 next year.

Onn Hafiz has been instrumental in solving the massive congestion and easing travel procedures at both land border checkpoints in Johor.

This is despite the CIQ facilities at the BSI here and at the Second Link Crossing’s Sultan Abu Bakar Complex (KSAB) in Iskandar Puteri, being under the federal government’s jurisdiction.

The latest announcement of temporary closures to several bus zone counters, e-gate system, and the recently introduced Malaysian Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) counter starting tomorrow could derail the efforts made by the menteri besar.

Earlier, the CIQ’s Immigration Department’s corporate and communications unit in a statement said that the upgrades were expected to be completed by January 15.

In addition, the statement said that the application for the popular M-Bike automatic border control system facility has been temporarily suspended for the first time and its re-opening will be notified at a later date.