Lee (right) gets feedback from a motorist on JPJ Miri’s counter service as acting Miri Resident Jamalie Busri, who is also Subis district officer, and Maya look on.
MIRI (July 27): The Road and Transport Department (JPJ) should implement an outreach programme to help the rural folk here renew their driving licence and road tax, said Transport Minister Datuk Lee Kim Shin.
Making the proposal during a visit to the department’s office here, he said the outreach programme would prevent congestion at the office and spare the rural folk the need to travel long distances just for the documents.
“JPJ Miri through an outreach programme can set up mobile counters at various district offices in rural areas such as in Subis, Marudi, Beluru and Telang Usan.
“With this mobile counter, the rural folks need not to travel far to Miri to renew their driving licences and this approach will help to reduce the congestion at JPJ Miri,” he said.
Lee, who is the minister in charge for Miri Division Disaster Management Committee (MDDMC), visited JPJ Miri after receiving public complaints that the counter operation at the department was slow and very congested.
JPJ Miri head Maya Morshidi told Lee that the congestion was due to the limited capacity at each counter as only five counters were operating including one counter reserved for group vehicle registration by agents.
In addition to that, Maya informed that the operating time for cash transactions had been scheduled from 9am until 11am in order to comply with the cash collection time set by the bank.
However, online transactions or e-payments, she said, could still be made after 11am until 4pm.
In addition, she said the poor internet network had also affected the operation at the counters.
In view of that, Lee wanted the bank institution to give consideration by extending the cash collection time at JPJ Miri.
On internet connection, he asked JPJ Miri to improve the internet connectivity so that the department is able to provide efficient counter service for the people.
The JPJ counter service at the Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) Miri is only for online payment transactions during office hours from 8am until 5pm.