Roads On Government Land Not Allowed To Be Sold, Transferred To Private Sector

KUALA LUMPUR, 25 Feb (Bernama) -- Roads built on government-owned land, particularly main roads, will not be allowed to be sold or transferred to the private sector as they are strategic national assets, said Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh.

He said private sector involvement is limited to road management or maintenance through concession agreements, without affecting government ownership or the status of the road as a public road.

He said any closure, disposal or change in the status of a public road is subject to gazettement and approval by the relevant authorities under the Town and Country Planning Act 1976 (Act 172), the Roads, Drains and Buildings Act 1974 (Act 133) and the National Land Code 1965 (Act 828).

“This process involves scrutiny by the Public Works Department and local authorities, approval by state authorities, and the requirement to provide an equivalent or better alternative route if public access is affected,” he said during question time in the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was responding to a question from P. Prabakaran (PH-Batu) about whether the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) would allow roads built on government-owned land to be sold or handed over to the private sector.

Syed Ibrahim added that any proposed change to a public road route involving government land is subject to state authority approval, particularly concerning land management, gazettement and disposal under Act 828.

The government adopts a multi-layered assessment process, including verification of land status, technical evaluations by the Public Works Department and local councils on safety, capacity and accessibility, and conditions set by state authorities requiring an equivalent or improved alternative route before any changes are implemented, he said.

-- BERNAMA