Landmarks will be protected from damage, litterbugs, says mayor

KUALA LUMPUR: Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) defended its move to relocate the Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman’s Ramadan bazaar to Jalan Raja.

It said all landmarks would be protected from damage and litterbugs.

Its mayor, Datuk Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan, said the operation of the bazaar would not affect the Sultan Abdul Samad heritage building or lead to a complete closure of Jalan Raja since it would be set up on a portion of the road near Dataran Merdeka.

He said the bazaar, which would operate for 12 hours from 10am, would not be set up on the nearby historic Dataran Merdeka field.

“The cleanliness of the new (bazaar) location will be strictly controlled and monitored by DBKL for 24 hours during the month-long period of the bazaar.

“Participants are not allowed to sell cooked food and breaking of fast dishes.

“Only dry food, which had been packed, is allowed to be sold at the bazaar,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Nor Hisham said mobile toilets would be made available at the location for the public.

He was responding to an online poll report conducted by the New Straits Times’ social media platforms.

It saw 60 per cent of the respondents objecting to the relocation of the bazaar.

They feared that the move undermined the cleanliness of iconic landmarks near Jalan Raja.

As Jalan Raja was a tourist hotspot famous for its dry food and textile merchandise, Nor Hisham said the unique concept of the Ramadan bazaar would not only lure more tourists but also generate more income for bazaar traders.

He said other tourist attractions near Jalan Raja, such as the blue pond, Heritage Trail and Sultan Abdul Samad building, also provided positive spillover effect for bazaar traders and participants.

“We had conducted studies and taken into consideration several aspects on the proposal to relocate the Ramadan bazaar in Jalan Raja.

“We have considered views and suggestions from several groups on the new location. The operation of the bazaar is only for 30 days during the month of Ramadan,” he said.