KUCHING: The Local Government and Community Development Ministry has been urged to take steps to ease overcrowding at the native market in Bau town.
The call was made by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Mas Gading committee member Boniface Willy Tumek, who told a press conference Thursday that population growth was one of the causes leading to the overcrowding and congestion.
“Overcrowding has become a serious problem at the native market. It is more evident during weekends and festive occasions which could be worsened with traffic congestion,” he explained.
“Traders and even shoppers have expressed their dissatisfaction over the crowded market and have requested that the problems be highlighted to the ministry as well as the Bau District Council,” he added.
With a population close to 55,000 as of 2010 compared to 32,000 in the early 1980s when the market first came into use, he said it was clearly evident that Bau district had overgrown the native market.
According to him, the native market is part of an integrated development project owned by the Bau District Council, with half of the trading space in the building allocated to fish mongers while the other half for sellers of agriculture and jungle produce.
“I visited the market Wednesday and it is plainly evident that overcrowding in the building is quite serious,” he said.
“The passageways between the stocks of goods being displayed by vendors there are hardly a foot wide and moving around in the building is inconvenient and uncomfortable,” he added.
The lack of trading space, he pointed out, had caused a number of traders to spill over into the parking spaces outside the building; consequently obstructing traffic flow.
“The overcrowding and the traffic congestion worsen obviously during the weekends and festive periods when the ‘balik kampung’ exodus occurs,” he added.
He thus called upon the ministry to provide additional space to accommodate the increasing number of traders, which in turn will give shoppers a more comfortable environment.
“There is one suitable existing building owned by the council which could be converted into a new additional market place,” he suggested.
“It is located next to the pork market and currently used by the council as their depot,” he said.
He also requested the council to provide elevated space for vegetable sellers in the existing market to display their goods.
“Elevated display spaces will provide sellers some comfort when trading for long hours as most of them are middle-aged and elderly,” he added.
With him was PKR Sarawak information chief Vernon Aji Kerdit.