Townships in Tanjung Malim are alive with development and activities
TANJUNG Malim was once a bustling town where many long distance travellers and express bus passengers would stop by for their meals, espectially to try the famous Yik Mun pau.
However in 1994, the Hainanese restaurant selling the steamed buns and the town itself became a distant memory after motorists started using the North-South Expressway.
Almost two decades on and Tanjung Malim remains a quaint town, counting on new townships such as Bandar Behrang 2020 (in between Tanjung Malim and Behrang) and Proton City, to breathe some life into it. Proton city is where the national carmaker's assembly plant is located.
The two self-contained townships, complete with basic public amenities, were established to sustain the automotive industry at the southernmost part of the state.
Badrul Mohd Noordin, 31, a security guard at Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Sdn Bhd (Proton) assembly plant, said many Proton employees and their families had relocated to the townships for the sake of convenience.
"The townships are complete with surau, eateries and recreational parks while Tanjung Malim is just 10 minutes away," he said, adding that the plant currently had a workforce of 2,000 people.
Badrul, however, expressed hope that poor telecommunications coverage in the area could be improved as the Tanjung Malim parliamentary constituency, which consists of the Behrang, Slim and also Sungkai state seats, continued to develop.
The development of Proton City started some 15 years back but due to the economic recession in the late 1990s, it came to a halt.
It was recently reported that the Government has geared up efforts to transform the township into a full-fledged automotive hub within the next five to 10 years.
Tanjung Malim is also famous for Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), one of the country's oldest functioning institutions of higher learning.
Set up in 1922 as the Sultan Idris Training College, the teacher's college later became a public university in 1997.
Kamaruddin Abu Hashim, 33, said Tanjung Malim would have been a sleepy town if it was not for UPSI, which boasts of an enrolment of more than 30,000 students.
Kamaruddin, who sells religious books near the campus, said many Muslim students frequented his shop to purchase reading materials.
Many businessmen, especially those operating restaurants and stationery shops, were also enjoying brisk business, he added.
J. Ravindren, 29, said Tanjung Malim was convenient and compact as it had eateries, traditional sundry shops, as well as the bus and railway stations.
"It may not be a vibrant town centre but I like the way it is.
"The pace of life here is just nice," he said.
The development in Tanjung Malim and Behrang has also somewhat spilled over to the nearby Slim state constituency, which is made up of small towns like Ulu Slim and Slim River as well as clusters of orang asli villages deep in the jungle.
Mostly rubber and oil palm plantations, Slim River is also dotted with shops selling vehicle engine and spare parts while the Sungai Bil Hotspring, reputed to be the world's fifth hottest hotspring, is found in Ulu Slim.
Sungkai, besides being famous for its Sungai Klah Hotsprings, is also home to many Felda settlers.
Last May, settlers from Sungkai were among 7,845 settlers from 17 Felda settlements who received their first payout.
Abdul Jani Abdul Rahman and his friends from Felda Gunung Besout 1 were a happy lot when they received the windfall.
"As of the end of last year, I have received all three payouts totalling RM15,000.
"I used RM5,000 to pay for my family's daily expenses while the rest was placed into a fixed deposit account for emergency use," said Abdul Jani, 60, who could not stop smiling.
Also in Gunung Besout, lies a 1,000ha plot of land, which was given by the Perak government to the nine Chinese independent schools in the state, last year.
The move was to enable the schools – SM Shen Jai, SM Yuk Choy and SM Poi Lam in Ipoh, SM Nam Hwa (Sitiawan), SM Yik Ching (Pantai Remis), SM Pei Yuan (Kampar), SM Hua Lian (Taiping), SM Sam Min (Teluk Intan) and SM Tsung Wah (Kuala Kangsar) – to venture into oil palm cultivation.
As a result, the schools are expected to collectively earn an average of RM3.6mil annually for the next three decades.
Also within the Sungkai state seat is the small town of Bidor, famous for its fresh fruits and duck leg noodles.
Fruits seller Chiang Mai Choo, 58, said the town would be abuzz with people during festive holidays such as Chinese New Year and Hari Raya.
"Many travellers will purposely make a stop at our town for our pomeloes, mangoes and guavas before continuing on their journey," she said.
Sales at her fruit store along Jalan Besar would increase by at least 35% during such occasions, she added.
New villages around Bidor, including Kampung Baru Coldstream, Kampung Baru Kuala Bikam, Kampung Baru Tanah Mas, Kampung Baru Bidor and Kampung Baru Bidor Stesyen, are also known for producing vegetables such as long beans, tapioca and turnip.
Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan is the incumbent Tanjung Malim MP while Slim assemblyman is Datuk Mohd Khusairi Abdul Talib. Both are from Barisan Nasional.
-The STAR-
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