Bertam to be Cyber City 2

BERTAM town in Kepala Batas will be developed as the second Penang Cyber City (PCC 2) by 2020, following the declaration of the Bayan Lepas/ Bayan Baru industrial hub as the state’s first cyber city back in 2005.

The PCC 2 would lead in research and development (R&D) activities, especially in Information and Communications Technology (ICT), provide world-class ICT infrastructure and be a catalyst for development in Kepala Batas.

According to the North Seberang Prai Local Plan 2020 Draft, the Kepala Batas-Bertam-Kubang Menerong enclave has also been identified as one of four development corridors as outlined in the Penang Structure Plan 2020.

The other three corridors are Butterworth-Bagan Ajam-Teluk Air Tawar (including Sungai Dua) enclave, Penaga-Kuala Muda enclave and Tasek Gelugor-Ara Kuda enclave.

Former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is Kepala Batas MP, first declared the launch of Penang Cyber City (PCC 1) on Jan 29, 2005.

At that time, former Penang Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon had said that the state government had plans to establish two more cyber cities by 2008, one in Bertam and another in Batu Kawan.

The Bertam township, which is home to a number of educational institutions and Federal Government offices and agencies, would also be developed as a special industrial centre, a semi-regional centre and as north Seberang Prai’s district administrative centre.

Apart from emerging as a Centre for Excellence in Higher Education, Bertam would also be home to a cluster of companies in the automotive industry and an integrated farming-cum-processing centre.

The draft says that more landed property is encouraged in the township compared to high-rise buildings according to the suitability of the land area there.

To further enhance public transportation in Bertam, an integrated monorail service has been proposed to connect Kepala Batas with Bagan Ajam, Butterworth, Sungai Dua and Tasek Gelugor.

The North Seberang Prai and Central Seberang Prai Local Plans 2020 Draft are currently on display for public viewing and feedback since March 15 till April 12.

The documents are available at the MPSP headquarters in Bandar Perda here, the north Seberang Prai and central Seberang Prai district offices and at the Town and Country Planning Department office on Level 57, Komtar, George Town.

The exhibition is open from 9am to 5pm on Monday to Friday.

Visitors can buy copies of the local plan drafts, which are available in CD-ROM format, at RM10 each. - The Star