Batang Kali-Genting Highlands road to be widened; reopening in January

SHAH ALAM: The Batang Kali-Genting Highlands road, which is currently closed due to the recent landslide disaster in Batang Kali, Hulu Selangor, will be widened and reopened at the beginning or middle of January.

Selangor Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, said that the matter was decided as a result of his meeting with the Selangor Public Works Department (PWD) yesterday.

He said that the reopening of the road is expected to help 4,000 to 5,000 residents in Batang Kali, Hulu Selangor, to commute, especially for those who work in Genting Highlands, Pahang.

"We will widen the area on the left or right side of the Batang Kali-Genting Highlands road to allow the residents of Batang Kali to use the road, but only light vehicles can pass through it.

"The area has been embanked with stones and compacted; we will also arrange a security team to control the route," he said at a press conference after the handing over of the Roda Darul Ehsan Initiative (RiDE), at the Shah Alam Stadium here today.

In another development, Amirudin said that the Selangor government will not hold any 2023 New Year celebrations as a mark of respect to the victims involved in the landslide incident in Batang Kali, Hulu Selangor.

However, he would not stop other parties, such as private companies or residents' clubs, from holding such events, but they should be carried out in moderation.

"Perhaps this year we can continue with the Solat Hajat programme, similar to the one conducted last year, and for that, I am referring to the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS).

Regarding the RiDE initiative, he said that a total of RM2 million was allocated by the state government for the initiative, which benefited a total of 3,000 food delivery people (riders), who received cash of RM500 and a RM50 contribution from the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF).

-- BERNAMA