LAHAD DATU, Dec 11 — The district now has an orderly and convenient public transport service system to cater for the local community and tourists with the opening of the First Palm City Centre (FPCC) Bus and Taxi Terminal, which is also known as Lahad Datu Sentral.
The opening of this new bus and taxi terminal was officiated by Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun representing Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, today.
The terminal was a joint venture between Titijaya Land Berhad, the developer of FPCC and Sabah Housing and Town Development Authority (LPPB). FPCC is a mixed development project comprising commercial shops, retail components, and the well-known Econsave Supermarket on 58.8 acres of land in the town centre.
Congratulating on the opening of this terminal, the Chief Minister in his speech read by Masidi hoped that it would be fully utilised by the public transport operators in the district.
Hajiji also hopes that it will provide comfort to all users of the bus and taxi services, including visitors to the district.
He said this new facility that upgrades the public transport service system and provides for the wellbeing of especially the local community is also in line with the one of the main thrusts of the Sabah Maju Jaya Roadmap (SMJ) of the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) State Government, namely infrastructure network and green sustainability.
In this case, he said the Lahad Datu district now has the best infrastructure network and this is for the welfare of the people of Lahad Datu itself.
The facility provided by the government not only brings benefit to the bus and taxi users in the district, including tourists, but also make the district transportation system more orderly.
“As we know, Lahad Datu is also one of the districts that has many places of tourist attraction such as the Tabin Forest Reserve, Danum Valley and Madai Cave as well as beautiful beaches and waterfalls, so of course this bus and taxi terminal will provide convenience to the tourists who go to these places.
“This will help the State Government’s efforts to revitalise the tourism sector in the state, which has also been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic,” said the Chief Minister.
Meanwhile, Lahad Datu District Officer, Mohd Ayub Yaacob thanked the developer of First Palm City Centre for building the terminal which has been long awaited by the people, including bus and taxi operators in the district.
Believing this to be a facility that benefits the local community, he said before this the bus and taxi operators only park their vehicles on the side of the road.
“This terminal can make Lahad Datu one of the main stops in the East Coast of Sabah,” he said, adding that the terminal was built on land owned by the Sabah Housing and Town Development Authority (LPPB).
Titijaya Land Berhad Group Managing Director Lim Poh Yit said the bus and taxi terminals, which is one of the integral components of the FPCC, are for public transport services within the district and long distances.
“I am confident that this bus and taxi terminal will be appreciated and fully utilised by the residents here as it reduces travel time in the city and to other destinations throughout Sabah,” he said.
He added that the terminal will definitely provide convenience to the locals, improve the land communication system and drive tourism in the district.
With the opening of the terminal, the FPCC is one step closer to its goal of becoming a one-stop centre, especially with its location close to the Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC) Lahad Datu and the airport.
Lim also informed that apart from the terminal, Titijaya Land Berhad is also focusing on its commercial shop building which has just been completed around the terminal area.
He welcomed business owners who want to expand their business activities as well as those involved in startup businesses to the FPCC.
Apart from that, he also welcomed the announcement made at the Sabah State Assembly (DUN) on Wednesday on nine investment proposals from within and outside the country worth RM882 million received by POIC Lahad Datu, saying this was also good news for the FPCC. — Borneo Post
