Drawn to Pulai’s charms

Accessibility, robust economic activities and its close vicinity to Singapore are some of the factors that have attracted more people to relocate to Pulai.

K. Prabakaran, 33, who used to stay with his parents in Kulai, decided to move over 20km away to Taman Pulai Indah in 2022 after securing a job as an Information Technology executive in Singapore.

“The reason I moved to Pulai is to get closer to the Second Link since my workplace is near Tuas. This makes it more convenient for me to commute across the border on my motorcycle daily.

“Since the traffic situation and immigration clearance have improved at the Sultan Abu Bakar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex, I usually leave my house at around 6am to start my work day by 8am,” he told The Star.

The area, he added, is also an ideal place to stay as the housing prices are still considered affordable compared to those in the city centre.

“Another reason I like staying in Pulai is the easy access to areas such as Tampoi, Johor Baru and Pasir Gudang. I can also easily enter the highway and reach my parents’ house in Kulai within 15 minutes because I visit them every weekend,” he said.

The sub-district of Pulai in Johor Baru saw the biggest growth in population in Malaysia – from 360,898 residents in 2010 to to 505,661 in 2020, jumping by 40.1%.

Prabakaran believes that many people feel the same way about Pulai as he has noticed more vehicles on the roads in the area – possibly due to a surge in population.

“When my brother-in-law got the keys to his house at the then new Taman Pulai Mutiara residential area about three years ago, the place was empty with only a handful of shops.

“When I moved in nearby, the place was packed with shops and patrons. We can get our supplies and food within a five-minute drive,” he added.

For insurance consultant Janice Tan, 38, her favourite part about staying in Tampoi, which is under the Pulai parliamentary constituency, is the close proximity to shopping malls such as Sutera Mall, Paradigm Mall and Angsana Mall.

“This makes my life easier as I can simply pop by one of the shopping centres, the nearest of which is just five minutes away from my house, for groceries and my kids’ supplies.

“We moved to the area from Taman Johor Jaya last year and this has also made my commute to work much smoother.

“Previously, it was stressful to go through the Pasir Gudang highway to reach home daily, which, sometimes, took me more than an hour,” Tan added.

Pulai MP Suhaizan Kayat said he believed that the numbers have risen significantly in the constituency since the last population census in 2020.

“This is judging by the dense population and frequent traffic congestion at key locations such as Jalan Skudai, Bandar Baru Uda, Tampoi Indah industrial area, Kempas and near the Perling mosque.

“Pulai is an attractive area to live in because it is near to the two land checkpoints that connect Johor with Singapore.

“There are also many places to shop and spend your leisure time. Besides being in a central location, it is also linked to roads that lead to points of interest in Pontian, Pasir Gudang and Kulai,” he said.

The facilities and infrastructure in the area, he said, are also complete and sufficient.

Suhaizan said he had brought up the issue of traffic congestion to the Iskandar Puteri City Council and the Johor Baru City Council for the roads to be widened and the traffic lights system improved to have better vehicular flow.

The matter has also been raised in Parliament, along with other issues like flood mitigation initiatives, housing matters, people’s welfare and waste management.

“I am also monitoring the progress of the Kempas train station as part of the Gemas-Johor Baru Electrified Double Track Project as well as the Rapid Transit System Link in Johor Baru, which are set to bring in more tourism and economic opportunities to Pulai.

“I expect more people will want to move here in the coming years,” Suhaizan added.

The Pulai parliamentary constituency, he noted, had about 160,000 registered voters in last year’s by-election, the second highest after the Tebrau parliamentary constituency in Johor.

The by-election was held after the passing of its MP, Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub.