GEORGE TOWN: The clucking of live chickens led authorities to yet another hidden sundry shop shack allegedly being run by foreigners in a village off Jalan Kota Giam in Jelutong.
Tucked away from public view amid modern development, the shack had been built by a local without the necessary approvals.
The owner was issued enforcement notices on Feb 16 last year and again on the same date this year, including an order to vacate the site.
The business continued operating despite the notices.
After more than a year of non-compliance, the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) moved in last Friday to shut down the operation and demolish the shack.
MBPP licensing director Danny Koay said the premises had been operating without a valid licence and in breach of the relevant regulations.
“For now, we have sealed off the premises,” he said yesterday.
Koay said the council could not determine how long the business had been operating or whether its products were being sold at lower prices than those of other retailers.
The three-hour operation, from 4pm to 7pm, involved the council’s Licensing Department, Enforcement Department, Municipal Services Department, and Corporate Communications and Public Relations Division, with police assistance.
A total of 29 live chickens and a digital weighing scale were seized for documentation and disposal.
The sale and slaughter of live chickens in shops and wet markets were banned years ago to reduce organic pollution in wastewater and safeguard public health.
The operation also uncovered illegal electricity and water connections.
Tenaga Nasional Bhd found an unauthorised electricity connection at the shack and several other premises and subsequently disconnected them.
The Penang Water Supply Corporation found no water meter at the shack but detected an illegal connection from a nearby grocery shop, which was also disconnected.
The owner’s application for a Temporary Occupation Licence had been rejected by the Northeast District and Land Office on July 14, 2026.
MBPP subsequently demolished the shack in the presence of the business owner.
The operation came three days after MBPP raided foreign-run businesses in Jalan Macalister, seizing goods and sealing three premises.
Between 2022 and this year, MBPP recorded 703 enforcement actions against foreign-run businesses – 37 in 2022, 127 in 2023, 212 in 2024, 263 in 2025 and 64 so far this year.
Such businesses are believed to be more likely to emerge in neighbourhoods with larger foreign worker populations, often serving their own communities.
Some have been reported to be operating without licences or using licences obtained through local traders, making their operations harder to regulate.
