LETTERS: Seremban is not living up to its status as a city state, lacking vital infrastructure and amenities that need sprucing up.
While there's improvement in connectivity within Seremban, some districts and parts of the city lack good roads and parking bays.
As a regular brisk walker, I witness daily Jalan Rasah commuters facing traffic congestion in the morning and late afternoon.
The massive traffic jam is caused in part by the proximity of three medical facilities: Tuanku Jaafar Hospital, Rasah Health Clinic and privately owned Mawar Hospital.
The three entities' employees will be among those rushing to work, and some may take the commuter train or bus to Kuala Lumpur.
On top of that, there are inadequate parking bays in Jalan Rasah. Even the field around the hospital is being converted into a parking area, as the hospital parking bays are always full.
And even hospital staff and patients have to arrive very early to find a parking space.
About 200m further along Jalan Rasah to Bukit Tembok are newly built apartments, which are about to be completed and will be given approval soon by the authorities. This will add woes to the daily traffic congestion to and fro (Rasah to Seremban city centre).
There were suggestions made to the state government earlier during the construction stage to have an outer ring road to diffuse the traffic congestion.
To date, nothing of that nature has been proactively acted on. All our pleas have fallen on deaf ears.
To make matters worse, there are two abandoned buildings near the city centre, one facing King George V School in Jalan Rahang, and another, the Seremban Convent School, which was demolished about 40 years ago.
Now it is the world's largest swimming pool, filled with water from the underground, and infested with Aedes mosquitoes.
This pair of abandoned buildings paints a bad image of Seremban, causing an eyesore to locals and tourists.
How can one attract tourists with these abandoned buildings lying there for four decades?
It is timely for the authorities to take positive action, including assessing the old railway station, as most of the time, the lifts are not working and senior citizens have to walk up the steps.
I hope Seremban will regain its vibrancy and live up to its city status.
C. SATHASIVAM SITHERAVELLU
Seremban, Negri Sembilan
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times