Kiosks part of blueprint for Little India

Saravanan: Kiosks part of blueprint for Little India

TWENTY kiosks bearing the 1Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) logo will be set up in Brickfields’ Little India to give poor Indian traders the chance to earn a living, said Deputy Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister Datuk M. Saravanan.

Saravanan said the kiosk project was the government’s way of giving something back to the people.

“It (kiosk) is not something new. The project is part of the Little India blueprint and was agreed upon by the stakeholders and NGOs since the beginning.

“If we don’t do this, then what is going to happen to the poor traders who have been waiting for kiosks and the opportunity to do business,’’ he said.
Out of nowher e: This kiosk with the 1Malaysia logo and DBKL emblem was placed in Brickfields Little India few days ago.

He was responding to questions by shop owners who were riled up over the presence of a kiosk which was left in front of the Sri Paandi Restaurant in Brickfields’ Little India three days ago.

They wondered why the kiosk was left there as no one had come forward to provide any information on it.

They also felt that more of such kiosks will sprout and crowd the five-foot-way in front of their shops.

Brickfields Business Community Society (BBCS) president Barath Maniam said some members were told that if they did not want the kiosks, they would be given to outsiders.

“Putting up kiosks in front of the shops will bring other problems like cleanliness, vandalism and management of the stalls at night.’’ said Maniam.

“As it is, youths are loitering, drinking and urinating in the area after midnight. My concern is that when the kiosks are operating who will oversee the cleanliness of the place?’’ he asked.

“We believe DBKL placed the kiosk a few days ago to gauge our reaction,’’ he said, adding that no notice was given to the shop owners or the BBCS.

BBCS secretary-general A. Karupiah said the shop owners did not want Brickfields Little India to suffer the similar fate like Masjid India.

“Once they brought in the bazaar into the place, it killed off the business in Wisma Yakin,’’ he said.

Maniam also said if the authorities did not want the shop owners to put chairs and tables on the five-foot way then they had to issue notices to inform the business community.

He said the shop owners were paying City Hall RM30 for each table they placed outside the premises in the past.

“They stopped this recently, but they did not issue any notices saying that it is no longer permissible,’’ he said.

Maniam said the traffic jam along the stretch was an enforcement problem and that the onus was on DBKL to manage the traffic flow.

“We do not have the authority to summon drivers,’’ he said.

~News courtesy of The Star~