Economy
Seberang Perai has come a long way from a sleepy cowboy town to what it is today - a bustling and developing giant. Many major developments are now focused in Seberang Prai which has been touted as Penang's catalyst for growth in the 21st century.
Divided into three districts of northern, central and southern, Seberang Prai is strategically located near neighbouring industrial estates like the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone and Kulim High Tech Park. It is without doubt that Seberang Prai will become an important industrial and commercial hub for it houses the country's largest industrial base.
The mainland is also where a string of mega commercial and residential projects have mushroomed over the years especially in the thriving business and commercial townships of Butterworth and Seberang Jaya. Penang has 1.4 million people and at least 54% live on the mainland. New townships like Batu Kawan are also taking shape. Plans are afoot to transform Batu Kawan into the third satellite town in Penang after Bayan Baru and Seberang Jaya. The first phase of eco-tourism projects in Batu Kawan, which involves the Batu Musang jetty has been completed. The second phase will see the construction of a seafood centre, gallery and chalets. Penang has everything to offer visitors as a leisure destination from heritage buildings and culture to good food and eco-tourism.
Naza Corp Sdn Bhd recently announced it had chosen Bertam to site its new RM1.2bil plant in which the manufacturing operations will create some 6,000 jobs. It was reported that over 10,000 landed residential properties will be developed in Bertam, the new growth centre in the northern region, until 2020 to cater to the needs of its rising population that is expected to hit 100,000 by then.
On the housing front, notable projects like Taman Tambun Indah, Juru Heights, Harbour Place and Bandar Perda have given new meaning to luxury living. Bandar Perda, the proposed RM3bil integrated regional centre for Penang is shaping up nicely to emerge as the "mini Putrajaya" of the northern region. An imposing address here is the RM83mil Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP) headquarters.
Seberang Prai has also carved its niche as a shopping haven with shopping complex such as Megamall Pinang, Carrefour Seberang Jaya and Makro. The Giant chain of hypermarkets have an outlet in Taman Inderawasih, Prai and Sunway Carnival Mall in Bandar Sunway. Aeon Co (M) Bhd is also planning for a Jusco store (AEON Seberang Prai City) in Bandar Perda. The very successful Auto City in Juru has become the talk of the town with its impressive list of food and entertainment outlets including Subway, Swensens, Tao Asian Cuisine and the Manhattan Fish Market.
Read more about this topic: Seberang Perai
Famous quotes containing the word economy:
“I favor the policy of economy, not because I wish to save money, but because I wish to save people. The men and women of this country who toil are the ones who bear the cost of the Government. Every dollar that we carelessly waste means that their life will be so much the more meager. Every dollar that we prudently save means that their life will be so much the more abundant. Economy is idealism in its most practical terms.”
—Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933)
“Wise men read very sharply all your private history in your look and gait and behavior. The whole economy of nature is bent on expression. The tell-tale body is all tongues. Men are like Geneva watches with crystal faces which expose the whole movement.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)