KUALA KANGSAR (Aug 24): The West Ipoh Span Expressway (WISE) project has entered the implementation phase following the completion of its RM5.55 billion sukuk financing, Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said.

He said the latest update from the WISE management was that the project had reached the final stage of securing financing, paving the way for land acquisition works to begin.

“WISE is being implemented through a private finance initiative. They have secured the funding and have started work related to land acquisition.

“That is the update I received,” he told reporters here on Monday.

The 60km WISE was previously reported to comprise a dual three-lane carriageway, beginning in Gopeng and passing through Batu Gajah, Siputeh, Manong, Tronoh, Beko and Seri Iskandar before ending in Kuala Kangsar.

The highway is also expected to provide an alternative route for motorists, bypassing the Menora Tunnel.

Meanwhile, Saarani said Perak had no plans to conduct cloud seeding for now despite hot weather being recorded in several districts, as conditions had not reached a dangerous level.

He said the state government was nevertheless closely monitoring the situation, including the air pollutant index (API), to ensure appropriate action could be taken if conditions worsened.

“The API reading is currently still below 200, the level stipulated under existing regulations that would require certain measures to be taken, including school closures.

“For now, the situation has not reached a critical level (in terms of hot weather and haze), but we advise the public not to be complacent. They should wear face masks and avoid prolonged exposure to hot weather,” he said.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department said on Sunday that hot weather had been recorded in several areas in Perak, including Kuala Kangsar, Kampar and Batang Padang.

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