THE road in front of one of the country’s oldest formal religious schools – Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama (Lelaki) Al-Mashoor – will soon be named as Jalan S. A. Abdullah Bukhari – one of the state's earliest Islamic scholars.
Confirming a state circular shared with The Vibes, Penang executive councillor for infrastructure development Zairil Khir Johari said that a section off Jalan Air Itam will soon be gazetted as Jalan S. A. Abdullah Bukhari.
“It is the stretch in front of the school. It is only appropriate considering he was one of the teachers who taught at the school. We hope to have the road name made official soon.”
Zairil said that the main road of Jalan Air Itam will continue to be maintained owing to its strong affinity that the islanders have with the name and its brand as a neighbourhood.
Air Itam is regarded as the island’s main working-class neighbourhood with a section divided between the Penang Hill enclave to the New Air Itam township of Farlim and the commercial area of Air Itam.
In another development, Zairil hoped that residents can be understanding about the upcoming construction work that will take place throughout the state, as plans firm up for the proposed RM10.5 billion light rail transit system (LRT) project.
Echoing what Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow mentioned yesterday that there is a need for residents to put up with the range of construction works needed to align the LRT, Zairil said that a little sacrifice is needed to ensure that the state can enjoy good connectivity.
The LRT has received the final nod from cabinet, with earthworks scheduled to begin in the third quarter of this year to construct a 29-km-long line that will stretch from the ongoing reclaimed Silicon Island off Batu Maung to the state administrative seat of Komtar in George Town.
It will then stretch in a straight line from Komtar to Penang Sentral through a rail bridge across the Penang Channel.
It also remains to be seen if the LRT line will be connected with the suburban enclaves of Pulau Tikus and Tanjung Bungah as it was stated earlier. – The Vibes, April 2, 2024.
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