TRANSFORMATION OF BAU TOWN FOR THE PAST QUARTER OF A CENTURY

A breezing development has been constantly blowing across the face of the gold-mining town for the past quarter of a century. Ripples of transformation for the better could be seen in and around Bau Town. Even before the big fire on 24.9.1978, rows of concrete houses were under construction along Jalan Ong Guan Cheng and Jalan Krokong. Industrial shop-lots were also put up at the back of the town.
General View of Bau Town's Fascinating Places


Meanwhile, donations both from the government and (lie public poured in (from various corners of Sarawak. By 30.9.82 a total sum of $358,564.14 (from the public, $344,764.14 and the Ministry of Welfare, $13,800.00) had been collected by the Fund Raising Committee. Sixty-nine temporary shop-houses costing $355,454.20 were constructed by Song Construction Company from Kuching and by February 1979, all the fire victims had moved in and started their business again. Meanwhile, steps were taken by the government and the shopkeepers to construct 69 concrete shop-houses on the same site. In view of the new town planning, the length of the shop-houses was shortened from 80 feet to 70 feet, to give more space (or (lie bazaar road and back-lanes. However, the width of each shop-house was widened from 16 feel to 17 feel. The construction was tendered out at .1) 165,000.00 per intermediate shop and $70,000.00 per corner shop,

After the fire, the shopkeepers   were financially poor. With the loan from Borneo Housing Corporation, 67   out   of   69 shop-houses    were constructed    and completed by October, 1982. By early 1983, all the shop-houses were occupied.

Over the next three years, the town saw the major roads being improved and upgraded in stages. The roads were either upgraded to reduce flood risk as in the case of Jalan Sebuku, or widen and tar-scaled as in the case of other roads such as Jalan Buso, Jalan Krokong, Jalan Pejiru and Jalan Seringgok to enable better traffic flow.

At the center of Bau Town, a new multi-purpose hawkers' centre costing $350,000.00 was being built to accommodate the hawkers and petty traders having their stalls scattered around the town. A new tennis court costing $50,000.00 had also been completed at Taman Limbang.