SEREMBAN: The Seremban Rest and Recreation (R&R) (southbound) area along the North South Expressway is the country’s first sustainable highway rest area, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

The Prime Minister, who was the guest of honour at the reopening of the rest area, said this R&R has solar power, natural ventilation and rain water harvesting.

“I have travelled this highway for decades, and I have never seen an R&R as impressive and sustainable as this one. The people of Seremban and Negri Sembilan are fortunate to have such a facility; it is a great start for both traders and the community.

“This marks a crucial milestone for our country – balancing development with addressing the needs of the grassroots.

“It is people-friendly, has the most beautiful surau and other green technologies. This is a fantastic, modern facility,” he said in his speech at the reopening of the R&R area here yesterday.

Among those who attended the ceremony were Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi, Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA) chairman Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad and PLUS Malaysia Bhd chairman Datuk Mohamad Nasir Ab Latif.

Anwar commended the ministry, MHA and PLUS for building a rest area which is not only sustainable, but also provides business and employment opportunities to the locals.

“Alex (Works Minister) asked me earlier why I had agreed to attend this event as it was just a reopening. I said I had to as this is one of the major transformations of the Madani government which gives priority to upgrading public facilities.

“Since 80% of the people patronise stalls and eateries like the ones here, I decided to attend as this also shows the government is concerned for all Malaysians,” he said.

Anwar said other highway concessionaires should look at the design of the Seremban R&R (southbound) and consider upgrading theirs as well.

In his speech earlier, Mohamad Nasir said the design of the R&R is in line with the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NTER) and Low Carbon Mobility Blueprint 2021-2023 initiatives.

“This new R&R design has also obtained the Green Building Index Gold Rating certification, is eight times bigger and can accommodate up to 500 visitors at any one time,” he said, adding that there are also waste composting machines, recycling bins made of fabric and an EV charging hub station will also be built.

Since its reopening, the number of visitors to the R&R has doubled from 25,000 to 50,000 a week.

The Seremban R&R (southbound) area not only provides a range of facilities for highway users but also serves as a catalyst for socioeconomic development.

It has created opportunities for over 500 small and medium-sized enterprises, supported by thousands of local suppliers.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/09/09/seremban-rr-leads-the-charge-for-green-rest-areas