LETTERS: Seremban, once known as a town for retirees, gained its city status officially on Jan 20, 2020.
However, there are still woes in its city status image, such as abandoned commercial buildings in the city, including the Convent Holy Infant Jesus, which was demolished for a business centre plan.
Now, the once-popular school is a vacant lot filled with stagnant water that is bigger than an Olympic swimming pool, a classic breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Along Jalan Rahang, there is another abandoned, dirty-looking building still standing after more than four decades, facing King George V School, which itself has a pathetic look.
The school badly needs a coat of paint to upkeep its status as a premier education institution in the country.
I wonder what the Seremban City Council town planners have in store for these ugly, eyesore, abandoned buildings and old shophouses in the city.
The Seremban railway station has also not seen a facelift for many years. There was a proposal to rebuild the station as Seremban Sentral under the previous state government, but it was never realised.
The Terminal One bus station is congested, especially during weekends with cars and tourist vehicles from all over the country. The city also faces shortage of parking bays for cars and motorcycles.
Even at Tuanku Jaafar Hospital, there is an acute shortage of parking space and Jalan Rasah is congested every day. And once the new Prima apartments along the Jalan Bukit Tembok-Jalan Rasah is completed, there will be more vehicles, which will worsen the conditions, unless there is a ring road being planned.
No doubt that the state government has moved some development to Labu Sendayan in Nilai. It has also expanded the town limits to Seremban 2 and Seremban 3 to avoid overdeveloping the city proper.
Residents are looking at Seremban becoming more vibrant and fast-moving, a shopping haven and gourmet paradise and a tourist destination with its beautiful Tasik Seremban, Tasik Awam and Taman Malaysia surrounded by its greenery.
While some areas have been well looked after, others surely need a facelift as an appreciation and recognition of Seremban's city status.
C. SATHASIVAM SITHERAVELLU
Seremban, Negri Sembilan
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times