Story by Victor Seow
Pix by Shum Jian Wei
THE official opening of the 2.064-acre Bandar Sri Pinang Hawker Centre and Market in Sungai Pinang on Oct 9 was a bustling affair that garnered much attention and excitement not only in the area but more so on the island of Penang itself.
The food court area, which houses a total of 45 hawker stalls, offers a wide variety of popular local and foreign cuisine such as Malay, Nyonya, Japanese, Korean, Middle Eastern, desserts and local delights.
Patrons will be spoilt for choice to select from an array of local favourites that include chicken rice, pasembur, satay, burger, seafood, char koay kak, pizza, sizzling dishes and lots more.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng who officiated the opening of the hawker centre, was full of praise for the painstaking effort made by the developer IJM Land Bhd in realising another public-private partnership (PPP) project that not only benefits the people but ensures its continued efficiency in the long run.
“We are pleased that IJM has transformed this quiet, sleepy town which used to be a fisherman’s village into a vibrant and exciting area. With the addition of Bandar Sri Pinang Hawker Centre and Market at a development cost of RM8.5 million and a 15-year lease period, the Penang state government is proud to say that this is another good example of public-private partnership (PPP) where the local council owns this area, while the private sector runs it,” Lim said.
Also present were state exco members Chow Kon Yeow (Local Government, Traffic Management and Flood Mitigation) and Danny Law Heng Kiang (Tourism Development and Culture), Sungai Pinang assemblymember Lim Siew Khim, mayor of Penang Island Datuk Patahiyah Ismail and IJM Land Bhd senior general manager for Northern Region Datuk Toh Chin Leong.
The market section offers a new concept of purchasing fresh produce, livestock and daily commodities.
It is equipped with aquariums that display live fishes and prawns, separate dry and wet areas and also sections for toiletry and household items.
This new concept enables customers to check out all their purchases at the cashier instead of paying individually to the traders, similar to shopping in a hypermarket.