Recently, photos of what appeared to be a toll gantry being built along the roads leading to Genting Highlands began popping up online.
This prompted the operating company of the toll booths to confirm that tolls would allegedly be collected sometime in the future.
However, the local authorities have seemingly rubbished this claim and ordered work on the gantry to stop.
Source: Facebook
No permission has been given for the erection of such a toll gantry, they reportedly said.
The stop-work order was issued on Wednesday (18 Oct), a Bentong Municipal Council (MPB) source told The New Straits Times (NST).
This was because the developer didn’t seek approval from the local authorities before starting work, they said, adding:
No permission was given to build the gantry.
On the toll charges themselves, MPB has no jurisdiction to approve their collection. However, they were told that the gantry was for that purpose.
Besides seeking approval, the developer must follow certain procedures before starting work.
This includes submitting a building plan and applying for planning permission. After which, the developer would need to plan the piping details and road layout.
The MPB source maintained that in this case, the developer’s submission was incomplete.
Source: Facebook
Strangely enough, even the Pahang state government was unaware of a plan to collect a toll in Genting Highlands.
An anonymous state government official told NST that they had not received a proposal over the collection of a toll from those headed to the vacation spot.
The official said that any plan to collect tolls must go through the state government’s investment and privatisation department.
Following this, the matter will then be discussed at the state executive council meeting.
Pahang’s Unity, Tourism and Culture Committee chairperson Leong Yu Man also said that the state government has never discussed it.
On Thursday (19 Oct), Sin Chew Daily reported that toll booths would supposedly be located at Gohtong Jaya and the mid-hill section of Genting.
This will affect anyone coming up from the base or from the direction of Batang Kali.
The toll was also reportedly confirmed by a consultant for the toll booths’ operating company Lingkaran Cekap.
The company added that the roads leading to Genting Highlands are considered private property belonging to Genting Malaysia.
However, NST reported that authorities still had to be consulted if a toll was intended to be collected.
It seems that plans are up in the air at the moment, so those planning a trip to Genting in the near future should be safe from any extra travel expenses — for now.
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Featured image adapted from Facebook.
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