IPOH: The Ipoh City Council has launched an operation to act against unlicensed roadside hawkers.
Ipoh mayor Datuk Rumaizi Baharin said some of the hawkers were operating at dangerous locations, which posed a threat to the public and actions would be taken against them.
Rumaizi said an enforcement operation was held near Taman Klebang Putra on Wednesday (Dec 13) following a video whereby a school bus had rammed into a motorcycle, with two persons on it, who were seen buying food at a roadside stall there.
"We have seized five stalls, issued compounds to two hawkers and also issued a total of 20 notices.
"The operation was held between 9am and 10.45am," he said in a press conference after a World Toilet Day celebration at the city council headquarters here on Thursday (Dec 14).
"The city council will continue to have operations at risky locations to deter such an incident from recurring," he added.
Rumaizi said the trader in the viral video had been warned before for operating without a licence.
"We sympathised with some of the roadside hawkers during the movement control order by allowing them to operate temporarily.
"We will need to take action if they are posing a risk to the public," he said.
In the 33-second video, a motorcyclist and pillion rider on a motorcycle had stopped in front of the stall to buy food before the bus crashed into them.
When contacted, Ipoh OCPD Asst Comm Yahaya Hassan said the incident occurred on Monday (Dec 11) at about 2.15pm.
ACP Yahaya said the steering wheel of the bus had malfunctioned and the 59-year-old driver tried to slam on the brakes but lost control of the vehicle before it crashed into the motorcycle.
He said the 29-year-old motorcyclist and his pillion rider, 27, both mechanics, suffered minor injuries.
"There were three students on the bus and they were uninjured," he added.
