KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 2 — Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng today urged Putrajaya to make the North-South Expressway (PLUS) a freeway, saying that the concessionaire has already made more profit than the actual construction cost of RM5.9 billion.
In a statement today, the Bagan MP said Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof informed Parliament yesterday that that Plus Malaysia Berhad has already made RM36.39 billion in profits or six times what it cost to build the expressway.
“Fadillah said until the end of 2015, the overall toll collected for the North-South Expressway alone was RM36.39 billion. The total amount of compensation paid out to Plus following the deferment in toll hikes until 2015 was RM917.1 million.
“This RM36.39 billion collected from Malaysians is 6 times more than the construction cost of RM 5.9 billion,” he said when pressing for the toll to be removed.
National news agency Bernama yesterday reported Fadillah saying that only four highways are entitled to increase their toll rates next year, based on concession agreements.
The highways are: the Eastern Dispersal Link (EDL), Kajang–Seremban Highway (Lekas), Senai–Desaru Expressway (SDE) and the Guthrie Corridor Expressway (GCE).
