Dari Bernama kita baca:
January 08, 2005 12:54 PM
M'sia Keen To Manage Maintenance Of Highways In India
MUMBAI, Jan 8 (Bernama) -- After successfully completing US$320 million (RM1.2 billion) worth of highway projects in India, Malaysia has now expressed interest to manage the operations and maintenance of highways in the sub-continent.
Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said the maintenance would also include the provision of highway and road service such as parking facilities and rest and recreation areas.
"A consistent, systematic, efficient and effective approach to maintenance is crucial to keep the highway network functioning at a high level and to preserve the asset value," he said when addressing a sectoral session on infrastructure at the three-day Indian Diaspora conference here today.
Samy Vellu is leading a 160-member delegation to the annual Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, or Indian Diaspora, conference from Jan 7 to 9.
The minister said a systematic and well-managed maintenance would ensure the safe and convenient movement of the travelling public within the resources available.
Malaysian companies are currently implementing highway projects at a total value of US$1.8 billion (RM6.84 billion) in India.
Samy Vellu said India's national highways contributed about two per cent by way of road length but carried around 40 per cent of the traffic.
"It is apparent then that the national highways will remain congested despite the upgrading. It is imperative, therefore, for India to embark on a comprehensive inter-state expressway linking the major cities throughout the country.
"The smooth flow of people and goods within the country is vital for India's continued economic growth," he said, adding that expressways, which should be designed for uninterrupted and high speed inter-city travel, would enhance connectivity and have a dramatic impact on mobility and transportation capacity and efficiency.
Samy Vellu said Malaysia, with its vast experience in operating and maintaining as well as planning and constructing roads and highways, was in a position to share and contribute to the overall improvement of the road and highway networks in India.
In his speech, he also reflected on the contribution made by Malaysian construction companies to the highways sector in India, especially the synergistic partnerships between the two sides.
"Against the backdrop of close historical ties and cultural affinity, the cooperation and collaboration between players from both countries had produced construction outputs of high quality, on time and at competitive costs," he said.
Samy Vellu said that the project management skills coupled with best practices and new technology adopted by Malaysian companies had blended very well with the engineering capabilities and resourcefulness of the Indian players.
"It is timely and appropriate, therefore, that these partnerships be formally strengthened to explore opportunities not only in Malaysia and India, but also in other countries such as those in Asean, the Middle East and Central Asia.
"In this highly competitive and globalised world, the needs for merging companies with complementary strength to enhance capabilities and to share risks are becoming increasingly crucial," he said.
"Malaysia believes that by forming joint ventures to pool the financial, managerial and technical resources of our two countries, their competitiveness in the international market would be significantly enhanced.
"From the mutually beneficial participation and contribution in the past, Malaysia hopes to remain an important strategic partner to the Republic of India, not only in roads and highways, but also in other areas of infrastructure development including power supply, water, ports and airports," he added.
-- BERNAMA
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