Congestion at Jalan Duta Toll Plaza not due to 'balik kampung' - Police

KUALA LUMPUR: Police have denied that the traffic congestion at the Jalan Duta Toll Plaza on May 31 was caused by motorists returning to their hometowns as viralled on social media yesterday.

Kuala Lumpur Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department (JSPT) chief ACP Zulkefly Yahya said the three-kilometre crawl occurred between 12.30 pm and 2.30 pm on that date.

"The main cause of congestion was due to the thorough inspection by police to ensure that member of the public followed the standard operating procedure (SOP) that had been set and it was found that the vehicles had inter-state travel permits," he said in a statement today.

Zulkefly said the congestion was also due to people rushing to complete their errands before the start of the total lockdown.

He added that police had inspected about 4,536 vehicles passing through the toll plaza on the said date and time.

POLICE-DENY (LAST)

"The KL JSPT will continue to conduct detailed inspections to ensure there is no violation of the SOP of Movement Control Order 3.0," he said.

Meanwhile, Bukit Aman JSPT deputy director Datuk Mohd Nadzri Hussain said traffic at the toll plaza recorded a drop of 66 per cent yesterday.

"The JSPT also found no congestion at all highway sectors and roadblocks after the MCO 3.0 was implemented," he said in a statement today.

He urged the public to stop spreading unverified news and to always ensure their authenticity before uploading or sharing them on social media.

-- BERNAMA