Bukit Bintang traders told to clean up

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ERRANT restaurant operators and traders have been given till the end of the year to clean up their premises before the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) moves in.

Deputy Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister Datuk M. Saravanan said under the Jom Bersih Bukit Bintang programme, he was given six months to ensure that the area was a clean zone.

The programme is part of the Local Agenda 21 Kuala Lumpur that is being carried out with the assistance of the Bukit Bintang Environmental Committee, the FT Ministry and City Hall.

Saravanan said the first three months was focused on raising awareness and educating the operators in the area.

Let’s go: Volunteers getting their cleaning tools for the gotong-royong.

“We gave out 1,959 notices out of which 958 were given out to foreign traders. For the next three months we will concentrate on enforcement. My advice to all those with illegal structures and extensions is to bring it down,” said Saravanan.

He also said City Hall was looking at a suitable location to move all the traders at lanes and road kerbs to ensure a cleaner and safer Bukit Bintang.

Saravanan said the clean-up campaign would also rid the area of rats and help provide spaces for City Hall to build pocket parks.

“The stalls and hawkers sometimes create heavy traffic congestion as cars park by the road to patronise these places,” he said.

To solve all these issues, a committee comprising 10 people from relevant agencies will be formed to ensure all the rules are looked at including proper signage and proper usage of the Malay language.

Saravanan said this during a press conference after launching a gotong-royong organised by the Bukit Bintang Central Environ-mental Committee.

About 500 workers from the hotels, shopping complexes, DBKL, hawkers and Alam Flora as well as 40 students from SMK Sinar Bintang were seen cleaning up the area despite the rain on Saturday morning.

The committee started the first session in 2001 and since then have conducted 20 community projects over the years.

Bukit Bintang Central Environ-mental Committee chairman Simon Leong said they were grateful for the extra allocation of RM600,000 from the FT Ministry to improve the cleanliness and other facilities to enhance the image of Bukit Bintang.