Komtar oh Komtar!

The grand old white elephant of Penang!

Okay, the upper floors are all occupied by the government agencies so the whole building isn't exactly vacant but the five-level podium below the tower is practically lifeless.

Let's see. The two anchor tenants have long gone. Either tutup kedai or well, tutup kedai. The rest of the shops have moved out or also closed down. The remaining few are either struggling to make ends meet or just barely surviving.

The conditions does not left much to be desired. It is dark, dinghy and sorta creepy with its emptiness and lonely walkways. It echoes with the ghosts of its past glories in the times of the great 80s and forgiving early 90s. (No, no, no, not talking about real ghosts here la)

Even popular fast-food outlet McDonalds have fled from the place. The only 'lively' place within the complex is Level Three where the MPPP office and the lifts to the government agencies are. However, it is more like a cheap, pasar malam bazaar than a shopping mall.

To think I used to hang out at this place and it was once a very happening place to be.

Well, there is still hope for this grand old lady.

The Store has signed an agreement with PDC and planned to invest RM15mil to open its first supermarket in Penang island this July.

Will this supermarket chain bring back life to the dying grand dame?

I hope so. It is such a waste to see our main landmark disintegrating into such horridly bad conditions.

PDC has announced that it was upgrading and renovating parts of Komtar in a three-year plan for RM15mil. However, I do not see anything concrete materialise from that apart from the renovation of the lower ground lifts area now.

It is my fervent hope that the new state government crack the whip to make sure PDC does it efficiently and really do upgrade Komtar to bring back its former glory.

After all, our famous landmark deserves better.