Busy Transportation Hub

BAGAN is the unofficial Malay name of Butterworth in Penang. It means ‘jetty’. Butterworth is the main town of Seberang Prai named after William John Butterworth, Governor of the Straits Settlements (1983-1855). According to Wikipedia, the town was established in the mid-19th century as a landing place across the channel from George Town. The town used to house many government offices but some of the offices were shifted to Kepala Batas, Seberang Jaya and Bukit Mertajam in the 1990s. Butterworth is a major transportation hub in the state for railway and bus routes. The railway station, bus terminal and ferry terminal are all located within walking distance from each other.

Centre of growth: A bird's eye view of Bagan Jermal

Jalan Raja Uda is a food and shopping district famed for its hawker stalls, food courts and restaurants lining the streets. Religious processions such as the Nine Emperor Gods Festival and the Chinese New Year Cultural Festival are held here annually. This busy street is also popular for its night market and Apollo Market, which operates in the morning. The North Butterworth Container Terminal, which is the main cargo hub of Penang, is sited in Butterworth. So is the Sultan Abdul Halim Ferry Terminal where one can board the ferry to Penang island.

Colourful sight: The Butterworth Tow Boo Keong Temple in Jalan Raja Uda

The 14km Butterworth Outer Ring Road is a boon to motorists as it reduces travelling time. Now the attention in Butterworth is on the RM2.7bil Penang Sentral Project, which was launched in 2007 by former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. It was reported that the project is scheduled to take off this year. The 9.6ha project will include integrate rail, ferry, monorail and land transport modes. Bagan has seen housing projects mushrooming all over with new townships. Purchasing officer A.J. Selvanathan, 48, said he was born in Sungai Puyu and the place was ideal for him. He lamented that development had been too rapid in the area.

Outdoor fun: Children from Kampung Benggali in Sungai Puyu having fun playing football

He said: “There used to be padi fields several decades ago. “But for the last 10 to 15 years, Sungai Puyu has been turned into a residential area due to its proximity to the Penang Bridge and North-South Expressway.” Although the town was ideal for those seeking a quiet life, residents had to be alert because of crime problems. “I used to live in Kampung Manggis but I moved to the nearby Taman Selayang Indah last year after my house was broken into twice. It is quite common,” he claimed. The father-of-three, who spoke fondly of his hometown, said he wished development could be more balanced. “I’m not against development. Although there are many housing projects here, we don’t have a shopping mall, cinema or food places. Come nightfall, the town is dead. “We also lack a secondary school. The nearest one is in Bagan Ajam about 30 minutes away,” he said. He also remarked that property prices had skyrocketed over the couple of years.

Welder Safian Mamat, 45, from Kampung Benggali in Sungai Puyu, said he reminisced the time where children get to play at nearby padi fields. “Now, there is only one padi field left. In the past, there were lots of coconut trees. During my time, we used to catch fish in the padi fields. “It’s a pity that we don’t have the kampung environment anymore due to the rapid pace of development,” he added. “I hope the authorities will provide more facilities for the public such as a park or football field,” he said. Gardener M. Saravanan, 45, who lives in Kampung Ujong, Bagan Dalam, said the authorities should build affordable housing for the people there. He said many of them stayed in wooden houses built on government or private land. “The houses are in bad condition and are a fire hazard. There have been cases when the fire in one house had spread to neighbouring houses,” he said. He said the more efforts should be taken to develop Bagan Dalam. “It is good to have a Tamil school since the area has a sizable Indian population,” he said.

Upcoming township: New condominiums at Bagan Dalam

In Bagan Jermal, Chan Hang Lim, 64, who runs a magazine, newspapers and stationery shop in Raja Uda, said the area was previously dotted with vegetable farms. “Over the past 20 years, commercial and housing projects have replaced the farms. “As there are a lot of houses, many hawker stalls have came up in the area,” he said. Chan, who has stayed there for over 50 years, said the roads in Raja Uda were choked up during peak periods. A logistics company executive Teoh Mei Ping, 39, said the Seberang Prai Municipal Council needed to widen the roads there. “The council should build a multi-storey car park in Bagan Jermal to overcome shortage of parking bays,” the mother of two said. Teoh added that food stalls along the roadside should be relocated to a food complex.

The Star Online

Tuesday March 26,  2013

By Winnie Yeoh