‘JS-SEZ will benefit all Johor districts'
KLUANG: All districts in the state, not just Johor Baru, stand to gain from the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ), says Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.
He said all 10 districts in the state are undergoing developments in transportation, infrastructure, housing and tourism.
'Do not think that the benefits of the JS-SEZ will only be concentrated in the Johor Baru area.
'Under the JS-SEZ, all districts in the state will enjoy benefits because of all the ongoing developments that are happening statewide,' he said at the launch of the Majestic Johor X Renggam Fiesta at the Renggam TMIYC here yesterday.
He highlighted the Johor Baru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link, expected to begin operating on Jan 1, 2027, and the Gemas-Johor Baru electrified double-track rail system, as projects that will shorten the people's travel time significantly.
Travel time using the ETS from Johor Baru to Renggam will take only 40 minutes, while Johor Baru to Kluang will take 45 minutes via the double-track rail system, he said.
'The journey from the city to Segamat, which usually takes two and a half hours to three hours, will be shortened to an hour and a half via the new rail system. All of these destinations will benefit from the JS-SEZ,' he added.
While no official announcement on the date for the commencement of the ETS service has been made, it is likely that the service will only begin next year.
Onn Hafiz also pointed out that the completion of the projects could help to elevate places like Layang-Layang, Renggam and Kluang into satellite towns to Johor Baru.
At present, he said Seremban is a satellite town for the Klang Valley and towns like Layang-Layang, Renggam and Kluang have the potential to replicate the model.
The mentri besar also said the state government has projected revenue collection of RM2.5bil by the end of this year.
'Last year, Johor collected our highest-ever revenue in history with a total collection of RM2bil. At the rate that things are going, we expect to collect RM2.5bil this year.
'Every ringgit from revenue collected will be channelled back to the rakyat,' he said, adding that this would be done via people-centric programmes and initiatives.
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