DKBL officers visiting a side lane in Pudu to check on a report of a licensed stall occupying the lane.
LICENSED roadside traders operating in side and back lanes in Kuala Lumpur in violation of multiple licensing by-laws as well as the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974, are to be relocated.
A Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) officer from the Bukit Bintang branch said the traders would be relocated to a more conducive place like a food court.
The officer said the decision was made following complaints from stakeholders including residents, premises owners and Alam Flora Sdn Bhd workers on traders obstructing the lanes.
ALSO READ: Close brush with obstacles
Officers from various DBKL departments including Licensing and Business Development, Building Control, Health and Enforcement are visiting these locations to gather evidence and information on the traders’ transgressions.
“We went to Lorong Baba in Pudu and we will be visiting Brickfields too. These are the areas where we received a lot of feedback from the community,” said the officer.
Both areas were highlighted in a StarMetro report titled “Close brush with obstacles” on March 31, where rubbish lorries and waste cleaners had complained about having to deal with obstructions when cleaning side and back lanes in the city.
According to the officer, the team was sent down to check on issues raised in the article and found clear violations of the laws.“If everything goes according to plan, they (traders) will be relocated next month and the lanes will be cleared of any obstructions,’’ he added.
StarMetro’s front-page story on March 31.
Several enforcement officers patrolling the area said their hands were tied when dealing with licensed traders operating in areas deemed unsuitable.
The officers said they had to bear the brunt of the public’s wrath when traders blocked pathways with tables, stove and gas tanks.
Licensed traders also set up their stalls at locations such as near traffic light junctions, bus stops and pedestrian walkways.
A DBKL spokesperson said there were two traders operating at Lorong Baba in Pudu.
“Based on investigations, the traders’ licences are only expiring in November. But after a discussion, they have agreed to relocate from the area by June.”
Meanwhile Brickfields Rukun Tetangga chairman SKK Naidu said it was time for DBKL to act against such traders.
“While we understand that there is a need to strike a balance and allow poor people the chance to eke out a living, it is also important that pedestrian walkways and tactile blocks are unobstructed.
“Brickfields with its high number of blind folk is not suitable for roadside traders,” he said.
Palm Court resident K. Jayamalar is hoping the authorities will relocate traders operating in front of the pedestrian walkway along Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad and the nearby the traffic lights.“The congestion, nuisance and near misses from (accidents) should be reason enough to relocate them,” she said.
