LIPIS: Despite its strategic location along the Sungai Koyan and Cameron Highlands stretch, the Betau rest area near here has failed to attract passers-by.
The major setback at the rest area which offers various facilities including rest rooms, a surau, food stalls and huge parking space, is that the premises does not have clean water supply.
Only two premises - a convenience store and a food stall - operate at the rest area which opened some six years ago while the other premises have been abandoned.
Food stall operator Zolkefli Sulaiman said when he decided to start business some two years ago, he had to fork out his own money to install a water pump in Sungai Betau which flows behind the premises to supply water into two storage tanks.
The 54-year-old said it was only during his third attempt to install the pump that he managed to get everything sorted out and the water was flowing from the river into two PVC tanks behind the premises.
"The first pump exploded while the second one was faulty and now I am using the third one....I spent close to RM2,000 for the piping works so that people who stop here can use the washroom and surau facilities.
"To cook and prepare drinks, I bring about 40 liters of boiled water from home daily and this has been a routine for the past two years. The river water can only serve as a supply for the washroom and surau," he said when met.
Zolkefli, who operates between 7am and 5pm daily except Fridays, said his regular customers are the Orang Asli villagers nearby while motorists travelling along the stretch seldom stop here.
"During weekends, a lot of tour buses, cars and high powered motorcycles use the road but due to the lack of proper water supply, they will choose to continue their journey. The surau and washrooms have no proper light bulbs, and have yet to be replaced.
"The local municipal council should send their officers to inspect the rest area and repair the facilities here. The rest area is the only stop for motorists driving along the windy Sungai Koyan - Cameron Highlands road," he said.
Meanwhile, Jali Yok Nek, 50, who operates a convenience store said the rest area required a major face lift and implementing changes would certainly help transform the premises, and attract passers-by to stop.
"How do you expect motorists to stop when the place looks so miserable. We have informed the district municipal council but nothing much has been done.
"With less than a week before the Cameron Highlands by-election, we hope efforts will be made to look into the problems here. Candidates want us to vote for them so why don't they return to help us to refurbish the rest area... a lot can be done to make the rest area popular like the ones operating along the North-South Expressway," he said.
School bus driver Zulkefli Seman, 45, who often stops at the rest area to have his meals said lack of clean water supply was a stumbling block for operators to setup their stalls.
He said being the only rest area along the 90km stretch, the premises should be equipped with clean water supply so that it would be able to attract motorists to stop over.