TWO special task forces have been set up by Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) to deal with persistent illegal trading around Pasar Borong Selayang and illegal dumping in Sungai Pusu.
MPS president Shahman Jalaludin said both task forces would operate until the end of the year, with the local council hoping to see improvements at the two locations.
“The first task force for Pasar Borong Selayang will be led by MPS’ deputy president, involving councillors and all departments.
“We want to rejuvenate and redevelop the area, while addressing public complaints about the presence of foreign traders,” he said after the full board meeting at Bangunan Lama MPS in Bandar Baru Selayang yesterday.
Shahman said conventional enforcement, including repeated seizures, had failed to deter the illegal traders.
“We seize their goods whenever we find them, but by the afternoon, they are back again.
“So, we are trying to close off the areas where they conduct business and change those places into something else.
“MPS’ hope is that when there is no space for them to trade, they will no longer be there.”
He said the traders were commonly found operating along pedestrian areas and under trees rather than fixed premises.
He further said that MPS would also work with Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), as the area borders Kuala Lumpur.
He added that joint enforcement was necessary as traders could simply move across the administrative boundary when action was taken on only one side.
The two local authorities would also coordinate improvement plans involving landscaping, infrastructure and roads.
Shahman said previous approaches, including static enforcement posts, had not provided a lasting solution.
“We have tried that approach before, but when the static presence is removed, they return.
“For 30 years, this has been among numerous approaches taken, but the problem still occurs whenever there is space and opportunity,” he noted.
The second task force, led by an MPS assistant secretary, will address illegal dumping in Kampung Sungai Pusu, where the municipal council frequently receives reports.
“Hopefully by the end of the year, we will achieve the results we want from setting up these two task forces,” said Shahman.
On a separate matter, he said MPS was stepping up checks on licence holders who allowed others, including foreigners, to operate businesses using their licence.
“Normally, we will give one or two compounds or notices.
“If we find the same situation for a third time, then we will revoke their licence,” he said.
Shahman said the local council had taken into account that many licence holders operating from council-owned stalls were petty traders.
He said MPS also regularly checked whether registered licence holders were present at their premises, particularly when businesses were being operated by non-citizens.
He added that the municpal council’s i-Lesen system, introduced about a month ago, would help improve such monitoring.
