KUALA LUMPUR City Hall (DBKL) will relocate this year's Brickfields Deepavali bazaar from the main Little India stretch and consolidate traders at an open car park along Jalan Tun Sambanthan 1.
Responding to StarMetro's queries, a DBKL spokesperson said the Brickfields bazaar would have 100 lots at the DBKL football field car park near Kompleks Tun Sambanthan.
"This year, the Deepavali bazaar will be consolidated at two locations, with 100 lots in Brickfields and another 20 at Jalan Bunus 6 in Masjid India," the spokesperson said.
This brings the total to 120 lots, down from 140 last year.
"The bazaar will operate for 30 days, from Oct 9 to Nov 7," the spokesperson added.
The Brickfields site will allow the sale of dry goods, food and beverages, while the Jalan Bunus 6 site will be limited to dry goods.
The 100 lots in Brickfields will be divided equally among four DBKL-recognised associations, with each receiving 25 lots.
For the first time in more than two decades, the Brickfields bazaar will be held away from the traditional Little India stretch.
In previous years, traders were spread across several locations, including the KL Sentral car park, Jalan Berhala, Jalan Chan Ah Tong, Jalan Travers, Jalan Rakyat and parts of Jalan Tun Sambanthan.
The spokesperson said some former sites were no longer available because of development, while the consolidation was also intended to address long-standing concerns over congestion, noise and public safety.
Local stakeholders welcomed the relocation but hoped DBKL would provide adequate supporting facilities and traffic controls.
Brickfields Rukun Tetangga chairman S.K.K. Naidu said stakeholders were still seeking an engagement session with Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Fadlun Mak Ujud and the relevant DBKL departments before the arrangements were finalised.
"We would really appreciate the opportunity to sit down with the mayor to discuss the finer details, particularly how traffic will be managed throughout the month-long bazaar," he said.
"Traffic wardens and Rela personnel should be deployed, tow trucks kept on standby and sufficient mobile toilets provided. These may appear to be small details, but they are necessary if the bazaar is to run successfully with minimal problems."
"The Deepavali bazaar is held only once a year and lasts for just one month. We hope the necessary effort will be made to ensure it is properly planned and managed for the benefit of traders, visitors and the surrounding community," he added.
