KOTA KINABALU: Indian companies are looking to tap into the business potential in Sabah with the imminent inauguration of Indonesia’s new capital Nusantara in Kalimantan.

       India’s High Commissioner to Malaysia BN Reddy said Indian businesses are also keen to set up base in the Land Below the Wind following the Sabah government’s plans to digitalise the state’s civil service.

       “They (Indian companies) recognise now that the Sabah government has this visionary plan to bring about reforms,” he told reporters after a ceremony in conjunction with the reopening of the India Visa Centre here on Thursday (May 26).

       “Also soon the new Indonesian capital will (be located) not far from you.

       “I guess there’s renewed interest because of this new development and I’m sure every company is weighing its options,” he added.

       Towards this end, Reddy said he and a group of Indian businessmen met with Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor on Thursday and discussed the opportunities to be explored in the state.

       “In our discussions with the Chief Minister, we decided that (Indian businesses) will engage more intensely with a view to participate in the digital roadmap under the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) development plan and also the renewable energy sector.

       “We have close to 250 Indian companies based in Malaysia but they are largely in the peninsula (so) we are looking at them to take more interest in Sabah with the roadmap drawn up under the 12th Malaysian Plan as well as under SMJ,” he said.

       Touching on the visa centre, Reddy said it was the second to reopen after the office in Kuala Lumpur following inactivity during the Covid-19 pandemic.

       He said the centres in Penang and Johor will reopen soon, and another centre will be set up in Melaka in future.

       This will make it easier for people to apply for visas to travel to India, he said.

       “There are currently 74 direct flights from India to Malaysia a week now but we estimate they will be back to 250 flights a week, covering 14 destinations in India, which was the rate pre-Covid,” he said.

       Reddy said some 700,000 Indians travelled to Malaysia in 2019 before the pandemic struck, with only about 5,000 of them visiting Sabah.

       At the same time, some 335,000 Malaysians travelled to India in the same year.

       He said there needed to be more concerted efforts by tour and travel operators as well as other stakeholders in order to increase travel between India and Malaysia.

       Besides nature and adventure tourism, he said Sabah can also explore the film industry as a means to make more Indians take note of the state.

       “India makes over 1,000 films per annum and Peninsular Malaysia is particularly popular with Indian film shoots.

       “This is another area to consider. You can rest assured this will become a very important medium through which Indians become more aware of Sabah,” Reddy said.