Some 200 hawkers and small traders at Jalan Kenanga, who were relocated to Jalan Merlimau wet market since December last year, have rejected another round of relocation mooted by Kuala Lumpur City Hall.
According to a China Press report, the hawkers were first asked to shift to Jalan Merlimau wet market from their initial location to make way for Kenanga Wholesale City, which is slated to open later this year.
However, barely six months after being placed at the new location, DBKL is requesting the well-established community hawkers to move to another Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM)-reserved land at Pudu LRT station.
The wet market, on the other hand, will be turned into a leather goods wholesale plaza.
The hawkers, who refuse to budge on the order, yesterday staged a protest against the authorities, accompanied by Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai and Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun.
Tan told China Press that the hawkers have proposed the authorities to make ground floor of the upcoming leather goods plaza a modern hawker center.
He said DBKL had agreed to the proposal, but the plaza’s joint venture companies request the hawkers to be relocated to the KTM reserve land.
Wet market action committee president Song Chee Woon said the KTM reserve land takes 30 minute walk from the wet market and is remote for their regular customers.
“My business has dropped for 50 percent since we move to the wet market. If the second relocation takes place, I afraid losing even more customers,” one fishmonger pointed out.
Fong said he will raise the issue in parliament next week.
CJMY
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