Grand Alora opens its doors

Grand Alora opens its doors

Grand Alora Hotel recently held its soft opening with celebrity comedians and juries of popular Maharaja Lawak Mega 2014 being among the first guests there.

The comedians comprising Shiro, Sepahtu, Nabil, Bocey, Jambu and SYJ, celebrity juries Datuk Yusuf Haslam, Nora Danish, Luna Maya and Sheikh Haikel and the show's host, Datuk AC Mizal, had camped at the hotel for five days beginning Jan 22.

They were in Alor Star for the Maharaja Lawak 2014 quarter-final stage held at Dewan Wawasan in Jitra.

There are 235 guestrooms, including 19 suites, at the hotel strategically located at the heart of the city.

The hotel also provides an executive club floor with exclusive suites.

As a business hotel, Grand Alora Hotel is also equipped with state-of-the-art facilities to cater to small and large events.

Its grand ballroom is one of the biggest in Alor Star and could accommodate up to 1,500 guests with 150 round tables at a time.

The hotel also offers the finest dining experience in Cantonese and Szechuan cuisine at its Dao Sheng Restaurant.

For those who wish to indulge in luxurious international and Asian cuisine, the hotel's Lengkuas Restaurant is the place to be.

Grand Alora is also equipped with recreational facilities comprising a fitness centre, steam baths, spa and open-sky swimming pool.

These facilities are expected to be ready by June this year.


Night view at the Grand Alora Hotel.

~News courtesy of New Straits Times~

国际风箏节25日起吉登场

国际风箏节25日起吉登场‧逾百风箏空中爭艷

“2014年吉州文化及国际风箏节”，本月25至27日在苏卡默南迪路的金禧公园引爆，民眾受促万勿错过此项首度在吉州举办的国际性风箏节目。


阿米努丁（左三）在吉州文化理事会成员等人陪同下，邀请全民出席“2014年吉州文化及国际风箏节”。（图：星洲日报）

此活动的焦点是来自36个国家、逾100只不同类型风箏的表演，民眾尤其是风箏爱好者应把握机会到场欣赏。

晚上时段，民眾也有机会观赏发光风箏的特別表演。

阿米努丁：节目精彩
或迎来约5万人

掌管青年及体育、文化、艺术及文物、非政府组织事务的吉州行政议员阿米努丁说，估计该为期3天的活动將迎来约5万人次。

他说，该活动由吉州文化理事会和吉州政府联办，將於早上9时30分至晚上11时30分进行。

“国际风箏节已成为柔佛州的年度活动，今年吉州也有兴趣举办，並也徵求了多国的国际风箏节参与者同意，他们参与柔州的节庆后，在前往泰国沙顿之前会逗留在吉州参与这里的风箏节。”

阿米努丁说，现场准备了许多其他的精彩节目让来自国內外的到访者观赏，这包括资料展览、娱乐节目、文化工作坊、马来武术表演和“吉州怀旧之星”比赛等。

他说，州务大臣拿督斯里慕克力预料將於2月25日下午3时为该活动主持开幕。

（星洲日报‧大北马）

Proposed RM3.7m facelift for bus terminal

Proposed RM3.7m facelift for bus terminal

Business operators and the public are hoping that the authorities will upgrade the Shahab Perdana Bus Terminal here by providing facilities such as a prayer room, taps with running water at the food court, lanes for buses which are in good condition, an improved air-conditioner system and making the premises greener.

As such, they welcome the state government's proposed move to refurbish and beautify the state's public transport hub at a cost of RM3.7 million.

Normah Mohd Shariff, a food stall operator, at the food court said she wished that the government would build a proper prayer room at the terminal.

She said there is a small prayer room in the main terminal building and only four people can use it a time.

"We need a prayer room that can accommodate more than four people at a time and preferably, it should be located on the ground floor of the terminal," she said.

Normah also said the food court needed taps which were in working order.

"There is only one tap and it is faulty. I have to store water in plastic containers for my customers to wash their hands."

She also pointed out that the toilet at the premises was in a sorry state.

Lim Ping Yok, a staff with one of the express bus companies said the lanes at the terminal were filled with potholes which gave passengers a bumpy ride on the buses.

He said the terminal was also in dire need of additional platforms as the existing 11 were insufficient to accommodate the growing number of passengers, especially during school holidays and festive seasons.

A staff with another express bus company, Zooraidah Kassim said that the centralised air conditioning system at the ticketing counters was also faulty and leaking.

A shop owner, Wani Mohd Noor, suggested that the operator of the terminal, Alor Star City Council, consider adding more green elements to the building, apart from repairs such as replacing broken tiles at the terminal's entrance.

A bus passenger, Mohd Radzin Salleh, agreed that the 18-year-old terminal needed major renovation and refurbishment.

Earlier, state Housing and Local Government, Water Supply and Water Resources committee chairman Badrul Hisham Hashim had said that the state government had applied for a RM3.7 million allocation from the federal government to improve the facilities at the terminal.

"We hope the federal government will approve the allocation," he said, after visiting the market last Sunday.

Meanwhile, Alor Star City Council mayor Datuk Mat Noh Ahmad said the city council had approved a RM250,000 allocation to build new restrooms at the terminal. MBAS spends RM110,000 annually to maintain the terminal.


Badrul Hisham Hashim (second from right) with Datuk Mat Noh Ahmad (left) looking into complaints about the bus terminal recently. (Inset) A broken basin at the food court which is still being used.

～News courtesy of New Straits Times～

吉向中央申请拨款改善米都巴士总站基建

吉向中央申请拨款370万 改善米都巴士总站基建


末诺阿末（左二起） 陪同峇德鲁巡视巴士总站路段的道路。

吉打州政府将向中央政府申请370万令吉拨款，改善米都沙河柏丹娜巴士总站基本设备，包括重新粉刷建筑物及改善崎岖不平的道路等，让民众可在更舒适的环境下，乘搭长途及短程巴士。

掌管吉打州地方政府事务的行政议员拿督峇德鲁表示，他已在去年杪向中央政府提出申请，但目前仍无下文，因此他将继续跟进，希望可通过中央拨款改善巴士总站的基设。

他说，该巴士总站自1996年启用后，不曾维修，而这里是提供长途及短程巴士服务。

峇德鲁今午巡视该巴士总站后，向媒体如此表示。

另外，市长拿督末诺阿末透露，该巴士总站属亚罗士打市政厅管辖范围，而过去20年都面对很多问题，包括道路凹凸问题，让市政厅每年必须承担10万令吉道路维修费。

他说，为一劳永逸解决该问题，他向吉州政府寻求解决方案，维修及改善巴士总站附近道路，从而减轻市政厅的维修费。

另外，他也说，吉州地方政府也将在巴士总站附近空地，兴建一座符合规格的公共厕所。

“这耗资25万令吉的工程，预计可在今年杪完工，民众可善用此公厕。”

～以上新闻转载自南洋商报～