84 notices issued nationwide over RM1 glass of water

KUALA TERENGGANU: The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) has issued 84 notices against food and beverage premises operators nationwide for charging more than RM1 for a glass of plain water.

Its Deputy Minister Datuk Rosol Wahid said all the notices were issued through Ops Catut 8.0 carried out since Wednesday (April 7) following complaints from the public.

“The operation will be carried out until April 15 by enforcement teams nationwide. Based on the number of notices issued, we find that this is quite a common occurrence.

“This should not happen... maybe a more appropriate price would be between RM0.20 or RM0.30,” he told reporters after officiating the Terengganu state-level Franchise Bay Tour Programme here on Saturday.

Of the 84 notices, Kelantan recorded the highest number with 14, followed by Selangor (12), Sabah (eight), Sarawak (eight), Johor (eight), Pahang (seven), Terengganu (six), Kuala Lumpur (five), Melaka (four), Federal Territory of Labuan (three), Penang (three), Perlis (two), Perak (two) and Negeri Sembilan (two).

Traders who are issued with the notice will be given two to five working days to provide the information required by KPDNHEP before further action is taken in accordance with the Price Control and Anti -Profiteering Act 2011.

Meanwhile, Rosol called on more franchisors to take advantage of the Micro and Affordable Franchise Development Programme to help create better opportunities for entrepreneurs, especially those in the B40 and M40 target groups. He said there were currently 1,091 franchise brands registered in Malaysia, of which 694 were local franchise brands.

“However, so far only 12 franchise brands have offered micro franchises and affordable franchises. The number is still too small compared to the 1,091 registered franchise brands,” he said.