Festive traders allowed to operate at old site in Brickfields

DEEPAVALI bazaar traders in Kuala Lumpur’s Little India, who were unhappy with the new site given by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) earlier, are now relieved after getting approval to operate along Jalan Tun Sambanthan in Brickfields.

The approval was obtained after a meeting between the traders’ association and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s political secretary Azman Abidin.

During a visit to the proposed bazaar site, Azman said 21 stalls would be permitted to operate on the parking bays along Jalan Tun Sambanthan, stretching from the Lorong Chan Ah Tong junction to Jalan Rozario.

“This is a temporary permission for the traders in view of the upcoming Deepavali festival, which falls on Nov 12.

“In the past, the bazaar operated on the five-foot way but this is no longer allowed as it obstructs foot traffic,” he said.

Also present were DBKL Licensing and Hawker Development Department director Zulkifli Muhammad and DBKL advisory board member Andre Lai.

On Oct 23, StarMetro reported on complaints from 50 traders after DBKL rejected their application to set up the bazaar at the same location they used in previous years.

They were upset with DBKL’s decision to relocate them to Lorong Chan Ah Tong, which could only accommodate a small number of stalls.

The annual bazaar selling clothing and festive treats usually operates daily from 10am to 11pm for three weeks before Deepavali.

Azman said DBKL would issue strict requirements about clealiness and traffic control to ensure orderliness at the bazaar site.

“If DBKL receives any complaints, the permission will be rescinded,” he said.

Association chairman Thinakaran Periannan said members were in the midst of submitting the necessary paperwork to DBKL.

“We must pay a deposit of about RM1,000.

“We have also collected a small fee from the traders for hiring People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) personnel to regulate traffic,” he said.

Thinakaran added that they would engage Alam Flora’s cleaning services, and that the bazaar would start operations soon.