KUALA LUMPUR: Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan remains unfazed by threats of protest by disgruntled Ramadan bazaar traders in the city.
Despite objections to City Hall’s decision to relocate the bazaar to Jalan Raja from its popular site in Lorong Tuanku Abdul Rahman, he said the plan would benefit the public in the long run.
“Ramadan bazaar traders can hold a protest or take City Hall to court, but we will go ahead with our plan.
“The most important thing is that we are doing it in the best interest of the public and not for individuals or a small group.
“We will never know if we don’t give it (new location) a try.
“As we said earlier, we will monitor the bazaar (throughout Ramadan).
“We even have plans to close Jalan Raja to traffic permanently and turn it into an iconic location,” he said after a tree-planting programme in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman (Jalan TAR) yesterday.
Tents for the 334 bazaar lots to be used by traders starting today have been erected in front of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building in Jalan Raja.
City Hall has come under fire for its decision to relocate one of the most famous Ramadan bazaars in the city, with traders and shop owners claiming that they were not consulted prior to the move.
They feared that it would cause them to suffer losses, and threatened to bring their protest to Federal Territories Minister Khalid Samad’s office if they couldn’t turn a profit after the first week.
Traders’ associations have questioned the decision to implement the online application for bazaar lots.
Lorong TAR was one of the most sought-after Ramadan bazaar spots, with reports of people earning thousands of ringgit by leasing their lots to others resurfacing each year.
Nor Hisham said he would meet representatives from the Batu Road Retailers’ Association (Barra) tomorrow to discuss its appeal to have Jalan TAR (formerly known as Batu Road) open to traffic throughout Ramadan.
Jalan TAR was closed to traffic for a one-month trial period from April 1 on weekends to turn it into a pedestrian area.
During the road closure, only buses, taxis, Fire and Rescue Department vehicles, ambulances and enforcement vehicles could use the stretch from Jalan Isfahan (in front of the Sogo shopping centre) to Jalan Melayu.
Other city roads that have been permanently closed to traffic include Lebuh Pasar, Jalan Hang Kasturi and the lane next to Central Market.