OVER 2,000 STALLS TO OPERATE THIS RAMADAN
All bazaars operating during fasting month subject to S.O.P set by NSC, City Hall
THE nation’s capital looks set to play host to 65 Ramadan and Aidilfitri bazaars throughout the city during the fasting month, with more than 2,000 stalls already given the green light to operate.
Kuala Lumpur City Hall (City Hall) Corporate Planning Department director Khairul Azmir Ahmad told the New Straits Times that it had issued temporary licences for 2,233 stalls.
He said only two bazaars would be handled by City Hall, while the rest were managed by various traders’ associations.
While lots for the bazaars are issued by City Hall, traders associations manage the disbursement of the lots. As such, traders who wish to secure lots have been urged to liaise with the associations in charge.
Khairul said a significant number of approvals for trading lots were carried forward from last year, when no bazaars were set up due to the Movement Control Order (MCO) and surge in Covid-19 cases.
“All bazaars are subject to standard operating procedures (SOP) set by the National Security Council (NSC) and City Hall.”
He said the SOP required traders to maintain a distance of at least one metre from one another and fit the sides of their canopies with dividers.
Bazaar organisers are also required to implement strict measures to control the entry and exit of visitors.
“Visitors have to check in with the MySejahtera app at the entrance of the bazaars. All stalls are required to prepare MySejahtera scan codes, temperature checks and set up queue markers to ensure social distancing.
He said should any SOP breaches occur, City Hall would not hesitate to close down bazaar operations.
“City Hall is fully within its rights to close down a bazaar if there are breaches of the NSC or City Hall’s SOP.”
Khairul also confirmed that the city’s largest Ramadan and Aidilfitri bazaar will be moved from Jalan Raja to Lorong Tuanku Abdul Rahman.
The bazaar, he said, would feature 208 trading lots.
Confirmation letters to the traders, he said, had been issued.
It is also learnt that due to physical distancing guidelines, City Hall would not be issuing temporary trading licences for other stalls in the area for the Ramadan period. As such, those breaking fast would have to rely on the bazaar, permanent stalls as well as shops in the area.
Checks with sources revealed that the authorities were finalising details related to the weekly night market on Lorong Tuanku Abdul Rahman. This is believed to include the operations and location of the night market, which operates every Saturday, throughout the fasting month.
Sources had earlier told the NST that the night market would be relocated to Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman. Night market traders, who objected to the move, had said they would protest in a letter to City Hall
A one-kilometre stretch from the artery’s intersection between Jalan Esfahan and Jalan Melayu is also expected to be closed on Saturdays to facilitate the move. This is similar to City Hall’s 2019 trial closure of the road on weekends that was lifted after two months.