Friday, March 31, 2017

Woodlands Checkpoint extension

Woodlands Checkpoint extension to be built at Old Woodlands Town Centre

An extension of the Woodlands Checkpoint will be built at the Old Woodlands Town Centre as part of efforts to upgrade the checkpoint, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and Singapore Land Authority (SLA) said on Thursday (Mar 30).

To build the extension, two privately owned plots of land within the town centre - 268 Woodlands Centre Road, or Woodlands Point, and 270 Woodlands Centre Road - will be acquired by the authorities. Both land plots are located immediately east of the current checkpoint.

The total land area to be acquired is 3,264 sqm, and the land was gazetted by SLA for acquisition on Thursday.

Three lessees and 14 tenants are affected, SLA said, adding that it will assist affected owners and tenants throughout the acquisition process.

"As the sites are needed for the extension of the Woodlands Checkpoint, we have given the affected lessees and tenants 18 months (by Oct 1, 2018) to hand over the properties," a spokesperson said.

Market value compensation as at the date of gazette will also be paid, he added.

EXTENSION TO INCREASE CAPACITY, SECURITY

The extension of the checkpoint will increase the clearance capacity and enhance security, ICA and SLA said in the joint news release.

“Since the opening of WCP (Woodlands Checkpoint) in 1999, traveller and vehicle volumes through WCP have been increasing over the years while the security threat has heightened significantly. The WCP has to be upgraded to meet growing traffic needs and ensure that immigration clearance remains secure,” the release said.

ICA said it is conducting a feasibility study to determine the optimal design of the extension and the full extent of upgrading and redevelopment works required.

The Old Woodlands Town Centre, which housed a cinema, bus interchange, hawker centre and retail shops in its heyday, was earmarked for redevelopment by the Housing & Development Board under the Selective En Bloc Redevelopment Scheme in June 2012.

Upgrading works will be progressively carried out at the existing Woodlands Checkpoint without compromising checkpoint operations, ICA and SLA said.

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

All airports are safe, says Liow

All airports are safe, says Liow

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai has assured Malaysians that airports in the country are safe following tight security.

 "The airports are safe, and we will we will continue to strengthen our security," he told reporters after the launch of the Tun Tan Cheng Lock Centre for Social and Policy Studies at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Sungai Long Campus).

This follows the Feb 13 murder of Kim Jong-nam at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2).

The 45-year-old half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was killed at KLIA2 when two women swiped his face with a liquid. 

The liquid has since been identified as the deadly nerve agent VX, a banned chemical weapon of mass destruction.

The airport was declared cleared of any trace of the VX nerve agent after a sweep by the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB), the Fire and Rescue Department and police early Sunday.

~News courtesy of The Star~