KEPALA Batas, once a sleepy one-street town in the 1970s, has undergone rapid transformation into a bustling township in the past 10 years.
Located in the northern part of Penang’s Seberang Prai, the area was surrounded by rubber trees and padi fields in the 50s and 60s. The rubber trees were replaced by oil palm plantations later.
The town witnessed much development after Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who has been Kepala Batas MP since 1978, was appointed a minister in 1981.
The pace of development picked up after he became deputy prime minister in January 1999 and prime minister from 2003 till April 2009.
Many higher education institutions have made their home in Kepala Batas.
Abuzz with activity: The old town of Kepala Batas.
Among them are the Allianze University College of Medical Services, Penang Matriculation College, Mara Skills Training Centre, Industrial Training Institute, Dental Institute and Kolej Komuniti Kepala Batas.
Housing projects such as Taman Bertam Indah, Taman Penaga Permai, Bandar Putra Bertam are also coming up.
The Federal Government agencies are located under one roof at Wisma Persekutuan.
Major programmes are held at Dewan Milenium. Sports events are organised opposite it at Kompleks Sukan MPSP.
A Fire and Rescue Department building opened in 2009 while the new Masjid Abdullah Fahim with a capacity for at least 5,000 people was built recently.
Tourists can visit the Pantai Kamloon Recreation Park. They can also stay at the homestay kampung houses offered by the villagers at the outskirts of Kepala Batas.
Lovely architecture: The newly built Masjid Abdullah Fahim in Bertam.
The biggest hotel in Kepala Batas is Hotel Seri Malaysia, which also happens to be the highest building in Kepala Batas.
Rapid Penang provides reliable public transportation connecting Penang Central in Butterworth to Kompleks Datuk Kailan in Kepala Batas.
Visitors entering Kepala Batas from the expressway will have to pass through the old Kepala Batas town. There are shophouses along the road.
Resident Muhammad Nizam Muhammad Nazar, 27, who runs the popular family-owned Restoran Che Abang in Jalan Perak, said the area underwent rapid development after Abdullah became prime minister.
“The old oil palm estates were cleared to make way for housing projects.
“Roads were widened, potholes patched up and additional street lights installed. Public amenities were also upgraded,” he said.
Muhammad Nizam said many youths there are working in factories in Prai and Bayan Lepas.
He said there was no night life in the town since most shops and outlets close around 9pm.
Tailor Hoo Ah Huat, 65, who operates a Jalan Penaga shop passed down by his father, said his business had slowed down.
Some like it hot: Muhammad Nizam serving customers his popular curry fish head.
“Most people prefer to buy ready-made clothes from shopping malls,” he said.
He said although there were job opportunities in Kepala Batas, the younger generation preferred to work elsewhere.
“It’s the old people who run their family businesses. We don’t get much business from tourists since there are no major tourist attractions here,” he said.
Penaga, which is one of the state seats under the Kepala Batas parliamentary constituency, is a coastal town. There are some 1,000 fishermen staying there.
The village was badly hit by tsunami in 2004. The Federal Government spent much money to rebuild the damaged houses and provide aid to affected fishermen.
The other state seat in Kepala Batas is Bertam, which is developing into a modern township.
It has a mixture of development. For example, the Penang Golf Club and residential areas such as Bertam Perdana and Bertam Indah can be found here.
A supermarket is scheduled to be opened soon. There are also many existing retail outlets and fast food restaurants.
Banker turned entrepreneur and Penang Woodball Association coach, Zulkarnain Mohamed Shaharuddin, 43, said he moved to Bertam seven years ago from Kuala Lumpur.
He owns a pizza shop and a courier outlet.
“I have studied the market here. There is a good demand for pizza since there are many office workers and students.
“My courier outlet is the first of its kind in Kepala Batas,” he claimed.
Zulkarnain said a major hypermarket was expected to open its doors in Bertam.
“This is good since locals do not have to travel far to Butterworth or Penang island to make big purchases.
“Maybe we can have a better night life in Bertam,” he said.
Student Wan Nur Syafatin Wan Zailan, 18, said she found Kepala Batas to be a boring place.
“My family just moved here from Sungai Petani. There is no place for youths to chill out. There is no happening mall here,” she said.
Wan Nur Syafatin said the good thing about Kepala Batas was that it was not as crowded as Sungai Petani.
“There is not much traffic on the road unlike the traffic snarls in Sungai Petani,” she said.
Pinang Tunggal, which is another state seat in Kepala Batas, has breathtaking views of padi fields. There are also vegetable farms here.
An overhead bridge was completed recently and will be officially opened to the public soon. It is part of the Electrified Double Track Project from Ipoh to Padang Besar. - The Star
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