SIBU: Sibu Central Market needs to undergo a transformation to attract more visitors, says Clarence Ting Ing Horh.
The Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) chairman said the iconic market seemed to get fewer visitors now that people had more alternative places to shop.
The alternative places, he noted, were supermarkets that offered cheaper vegetables and fruits.
“We cannot leave it (looks) the same. The rest of the business has to change. We have to make it worthwhile for those hawkers who apply and pay for the licence to do business there,” he said during a full council meeting today.
Hence, Ting proposed that the Sibu-Kapit bus be based at the transit point at the riverfront near the market.
The move, according to him, would attract more people to the market, which is experiencing a 90 per cent drop in business.
“Currently, the Sibu-Kapit bus is picking up and disembarking passengers at the Jalan Pahlawan bus terminal, about 3km away from the market.
“With these buses using the riverfront bus transit point, the passengers can just walk to the market.
“It used to be like this previously when the Sibu-Kapit express boat service was still in operation but since the express boat service has stopped, it has also affected the market,” he explained.
