Rules set to change for festive bazaar traders

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THE procedure for issuing Deepavali Bazaar licences may be reviewed next year following the high number of complaints received by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) regarding the issue this year.

Deputy Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister Datuk M. Saravanan said they received many requests for trading lots from various non-governmental organisations in Little India, Brickfields.

“However, we also received many complaints from various parties and through media reports, all of which point back to DBKL,” he said.

Saravanan said the trading lots were given to the NGOs as they represented Indian traders.

Trading lots alloted: Local traders were said to have lowered their prices in order to compete with the foreign traders who have set up booths at the Deepavali bazaar in Brickfields.

However, the NGOs gave the lots to their members who, in turn, sold them off at higher prices.

To make matters worse, some NGO members sold off their trading lots to foreigners who could be seen running the stalls on a day-to-day basis.

During a surprise visit recently, Saravanan found three lots run by foreigners.

However within minutes of his arrival, the licence holder arrived stating that the foreigners were their workers.

“Unfortunately, we do not have the jurisdiction to check their passports to verify their legal documents but these bazaars should not employ foreigners so we have taken away three licences,” he added.

Saravanan urged those who had purchased lots at high prices to lodge police reports to resolve the matter.

According to him, DBKL only charges RM120 for the licences which were given out to various NGOs upon a written request.

He said one individual had already filed a police report stating he had purchased his trading lot for RM2,900 following a fight with another fellow trader.

Saravanan said he would suggest that DBKL blacklist the association involved next year.

“Too many NGOs have cropped up recently. When we do not give them the licences, they say we are mean and unfair but there are many other problems that crop up from this,” he added.

DBKL may resort to implementing procedures that were enforced for the Ramadan bazaars this year.

One of the procedures involve balloting, and submission of workers’ documents to DBKL.