KUCHING: The request from the Village Development and Security Committee of Gersik, Boyan and Sourabaya for the provision of parking spaces around the village’s commercial area is awaiting approval from the Kuching North City Commission (DBKU).
Deputy Minister of Telecommuncation and Utility, Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi revealed that the proposed area to construct a parking area was located in the adjacent village (Sourabaya Village).
“We have been in discussions for quite some time; currently, we are waiting for approval from DBKU for this purpose. Additionally, we suggest providing a Buggy Ride service to transport passengers to this location,” he said when interviewed by reporters after the reopening ceremony of the BGS Village Boyan, Gersik, and Sourabaya (BGS) Marketplace in Kuching on Wednesday.
He further mentioned that the traditional village area in BGS, which opened 15 years ago, had experienced an influx of vehicles from outside the area. Therefore, a safety committee would be assigned to address traffic congestion and control local traffic flow.
Earlier, he inaugurated the reopening of the BGS Marketplace, which had collapsed due to a storm in April 2020. As the Deputy Minister of Utilities and Telecommunications, he believes that reopening the marketplace will boost the local economy and invigorate the tourism industry in the city.
“The development of the tourism industry in Sarawak is one of the focus economic sectors under the Post-COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030. This will provide opportunities for locals to earn higher income, especially in the food and beverage industry widely embraced by the residents in this area,” he stated.
For the record, he mentioned that the tourism industry had contributed 5.75 per cent (equivalent to RM8.07 billion) to Sarawak’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and that Kuching had been recognised by UNESCO as a Creative City of Gastronomy.
Also present at the event were Member of Parliament for Batang Sadong and Board Member of the Malaysian Cooperative Commission Rodiyah Sapiee, as well as the Chief Executive Officer of the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC), Datuk Abdul Hadi Abdul Kadir.
