ROADSIDE traders in Kuala Lumpur operating on temporary licences issued under the Wilayah Bebas Berniaga (Free Trade Zone) have been given an extension to operate until the end of the year.
Those with licences which expired on Thursday (June 30) can continue to operate until Dec 31.
In a statement issued by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), all the guidelines and SOP would remain the same, however DBKL warned traders that strict enforcement would be carried out if traders were to infringe licensing guidelines.
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Central to that DBKL said that under no circumstances were traders allowed to leave behind any permanent structures, canopy and belongings at the trading site.
Those that do so would find their belongings confiscated.
The local authority also added that areas which have become a hot spot for social issues like nuisance, rubbish, congestion and which had received a lot of complaints from the public would be reviewed.
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DBKL added that they were currently identifying the hotspots and would be relocating the traders to other areas.
Traders are given two weeks until July 15 to renew their licences.
The Free Trade Zone under the Wilayah Prihatin programme was initiated on Nov 10, 2020 by DBKL and the Federal Territories Ministry during the movement control order (MCO) to alleviate the hardship faced by those who lost their jobs.
Suitable sites were identified so mobile traders could operate from roadside stalls with canopies, food trucks and tricycles, but they had to clear the site at the end of the day.
Under the programme, over 5,000 licences were approved in all three federal territories.
Traders are allowed to operate either from 7am - 7pm, 7am - 6pm or 7am - midnight depending on the location. They can only trade on an 8 by 8 feet space, and no live cooking is allowed at the site.