By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, April 26: Upgrading Metrocity N6 Youth Night Market or Metrocity Uptown into a “container park” project is far from reach as it is still located on commercial land.
The idea was the brainchild of Petra Jaya Hawkers Association who manages the Metrocity Uptown together with Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Youth Wing of Tupong Branch.
Tupong assemblyman Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman who is the association’s patron, said the association and him are still in the process of requesting the Sarawak government to acquire the land from the developer.
“We have written to the Sarawak government. If they wish to take over the land, they would have to pay to the developer according to the market price.
“If I am not mistaken, one acre of land cost about RM3 to RM4 million. This means three acres would total from RM10 to RM20 million.
“Let us hope that the Sarawak government can generate higher income again,” he said during Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house held at Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) Sarawak branch in Petra Jaya here today.
The container park project involves upgrading the existing Metrocity Uptown and transforming it into a garden-like night market with a recreational space for visitors.
This involves replacing the existing booths with containers as well as upgrading the whole place at a cost of about RM4 million.
“If the developer agrees to a lower or a more affordable price, maybe we would have a way forward. I will not give up. We are still looking into ways to assist the youth traders,” he added.
To date, there are 300 traders operating at the Metrocity Uptown. — DayakDaily
