MIRI: Less congestion and smoother traffic flow are expected at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Centre (CIQ) in Sungai Tujoh when the upgrading of the centre is completed within three months.

The work started yesterday and the upgraded CIQ is expected to be ready in time for the Chinese New Year when there would be an upsurge of vehicles passing through it.

According to state Minister of Transport Datuk Lee Kim Shin, the state government had allocated RM300,000 for the purpose through the Public Works Department.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference after a site visit to the CIQ yesterday, Lee said once completed, there will be double lanes for vehicles coming in and out of the customs checkpoints.

“One lane for Malaysian cars while the other for foreign cars. At the moment all cars are queuing in one lane and this is causing traffic congestion, especially during peak hours,” he said.

The Customs Department had started a QR code for its Vehicle Monitoring System (VMS) at the CIQ in August. Even though this system is faster than the previous one, traffic congestion still occurs due to limited lanes for vehicles.

Lee added that he had been receiving complaints on traffic jams from members of the public, adding the upgrading work was implemented to resolve the matters.

“We are having an increased number of visitors passing through the CIQ and we need to provide better facilities as this will affect our tourism industry especially now when there are many tourists coming into Miri through RBA (Royal Brunei Arlines).

“The Immigration Department had wanted to do this (upgrading) for a long time but there is no funding for them from the federal government. So the state government is stepping in because this is important for our tourism industry,” said Lee.

Lee added that he will also be writing the Immigration Department to increase the number of its personnel for Sungai Tujoh checkpoints, so that more counters could be opened to the public.

Out of 14 immigration counters there, only up to six are open at one time due to lack of manpower.