IRCON bags Malaysian contract

By P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE, APRIL 8. IRCON International Limited, a public sector undertaking of the Indian Railways, and the Malaysian Railway KTMB today signed an agreement in Kuala Lumpur for constructing a 31.5 km long track on a major trunk route of the premier South East Asian country. The $ 121 million project will link a point near Senai with the new port of Tanjung Pelepas in the southern Malaysian State of Johor.

The project, to be completed by January 2002, will be executed on a counter-trade basis. Palm oil products will be exported by Malaysia for the entire value of the contract and IRCON itself could be the beneficiary.

The agreement was signed in the presence of the Malaysian Minister for Transport, Mr. Ling Liong Sik, and the visiting Minister of State for Railways, Mr. Bangaru Laxman. According to India's High Commissioner to Malaysia, Mr. P. S. Sahai, the awarding of a railway project to IRCON reflects Kuala Lumpur's policy of ``smart partnership'' as enunciated by the Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. Mr. Sahai said India would like to see this railway project become a ``trail blazer'' for cooperation with Malaysia in other priority areas as well.

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Section  : International
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