THE new Seberang Jaya Public Market and Hawker Centre is expected to be fully operational by the end of the year.
Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP) mayor Datuk Baderul Amin Abdul Hamid announced that the reconstruction of the market has been fully completed, including both interior and exterior works.
“The project is being handled by the Penang Development Corporation (PDC). Once it is fully completed, it will be handed over to MBSP as the owner.
“There has been a slight delay in the operational date due to some technical issues, such as parking problems and removal of utility cables.
“PDC has informed us that the work is underway to address these two issues and they are expected to be resolved by the end of this month.
“Once the technical problems are sorted out, we will proceed with relocating all the traders. Currently, all the traders are placed at the temporary public market and hawker centre next to the FMM Penang building in Lebuh Tenggiri 2,” Baderul told a press conference at the MBSP Counter Kampung Jawa branch in Butterworth today.
Earlier, he officiated the completion of the upgrading project of the new MBSP Counter Kampung Jawa branch.
The reconstruction project of the new Seberang Jaya Public Market and Hawker Centre, which began in 2019, cost RM19.5 million. The project, fully funded by the project contractor Zubicon Development Sdn Bhd through a cross-subsidised method, spans 12.5-acre project and will be able to house about 263 traders.
The new market will feature modern amenities, including solar panels, 450 parking lots, centrally connected exhaust fans, grease traps, among other facilities.
Speaking about the new MBSP Counter in Kampung Jawa, Baderul said the upgrading works, which started on Feb 1 this year, were completed by July, with operations commencing in October.
“The RM446,000 upgrading project has equipped the new counter with multifunctional services, including a payment counter, a cyber counter, a special counter for persons with disabilities (OKU) and a specialised clinic for typhoid injections.
“This project reflecs MBSP’s commitment to delivering the best possible services to the people of Seberang Perai for their comfort and convenience,” he said.
Story by Riadz Akmal
Pix by Muhamad Amir Irsyad Omar