New Istana Negara in Jalan Duta to cost over RM800 mln

The total construction cost of the new Istana Negara in Jalan Duta is more than RM800, including road upgrading and the building of a flyover.

Deputy Works Minister Datuk Yong Khoon Seng said this amount was more than the RM400 million orginally announced as the latter did not cover the negotiated price and was not the overall cost.

He said the new Istana Negara project had three components, namely the palace complex costing about RM650 million, the flyover (RM130 million) and upgrading works on Jalan Changkat Semantan (RM32.5 million).

"Istana Negara is a landmark and symbol of the country's constitutional monarchy system, where the facilities will include modern security features and
have specifc aesthetic elements.

"The government had considered various factors and offered the project through direct negotiation to three different companies for the projects' three main components," he said in reply to Nga Kor Ming (Taiping - DAP).

Nga had wanted to know about the facilities to be built at the new palace and the total cost of the project.

Yong said that the existing Istana Negara in Jalan Istana was originally a private residence built in 1928. In 1957, it was acquired by the federal government and converted it into Istana Negara.

"In 2005, the government decided that it was time to build a new Istana Negara in Jalan Duta to replace the existing one. The project is expected to be completed in February next year," he said. -- Bernama