IPOH: Ipoh City Council (MBI) and Railway Asset Corporation (RAC) will collaborate to upgrade facilities at the Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) station here, with work expected to begin at the end of this year.
Ipoh Mayor Datuk Rumaizi Baharin said the allocation for the upgrading project would be obtained through private funding and involves basic facilities, including the Majestic Hotel building that has been abandoned for years.
“The RAC, which will regulate the budget, told us that the project contractor will be appointed in August.
“As for the Majestic Hotel, it will be fully renovated and our expectation is for it to be the hotel of choice for tourists coming to Ipoh,” he told a media conference after chairing the MBI meeting at the MBI Hall here today.
In another development, Rumaizi said the MBI is ready to cooperate with any party to preserve and conserve abandoned heritage buildings to be turned into tourism products in the city.
He said the approach is seen as more realistic because it would be costly to repair or develop a building.
“We can’t fully depend on MBI only because there are many other sectors or divisions that require assistance and support from us. So, I think, collaboration is one of the most realistic methods,” he said.
On May 29, a report by the Perak Heritage Society found that 39 historic buildings in Ipoh have been classified as damaged and destroyed, including Rumah 1903 in Kampung Kuchai, the Majestic Cinema in Jalan CM Yusuf and the Ipoh Old Post Office in Jalan Sultan Iskandar.
Meanwhile, eight buildings in the city centre have been categorised as abandoned, including the Toh Domba residence in Kampung Kepayang, the Kinta Gazette Office in Jalan Datoh, the Underground Fort at the Ipoh Airport and the Papan Mosque built by Raja Bilah around 1884.
Rumaizi is also optimistic that comprehensive tourism development will not only be able to curb poverty but also transform the image of Ipoh, better known as the ‘pension town’.
He said that besides creating thousands of employment opportunities, the tourism field has the potential to generate income for the B40 group living in the city.
