Traders happy with new-look Pasar Tamu
SIBU: Traders at Pasar Tamu Sungai Merah are now a happy lot following a facelift to their market by the Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) recently.
One of them, Tipas Ngalang, in her 50s, said the installation of large canopies equipped with fluorescent lamps and tables for every trader was a huge relief after many years of waiting.
“We can do our business more comfortably now that the council has resurfaced the area,” she said when met at the market yesterday.
She said the more than 40 traders at the market came from longhouses in Pasai and Teku.
Tipas went onto say that they used to operate openly at the site without proper tables and tents at the mercy of the elements.
Another trader who did not wish to be named was hoping that the council would install fans and piped water to the market.
She said the hot weather often caused their vegetables and fruits to whiter and rot faster.
“Business here is good. I hope the council will continue to help us,” she said, adding that they paid RM1 per day to trade at the market.
Among items sold at the market are jungle produce, vegetables, fruits, fish, live chicken and barbequed food.
The traders initially conducted their business illegally by the roadside until the council ‘herded’ them to a proper trading place in 2010.