KUALA LUMPUR: Jalan Masjid India traders want the government to improve safety near the sinkhole site.
Maharaja Jewellers marketing executive Jamilah Abdul Hask said she felt relieved that businesses were allowed to operate again after the street was shut for nine days.
"I am relieved. But I can't say that everything will be okay. We don't know what will happen next."
She said the sinkhole incident in May did not cause much concern for workers and businesses in the area, but the recent incidents have heightened fears.
"My hope is that the government will fix this area properly with 100 per cent safety guaranteed, so that our operations can return to normal.
"I hope Malaysians won't be afraid to come to Jalan Masjid India."
Pharmacist Nishantini Manaharan Nair said her customer traffic and sales were declining.
"We were scared (when the sinkhole happened). I really hope it will be resolved.
"We hope more customers will come and not be afraid."
She hoped the government would prioritise repairs and take preventive measures to prevent sinkholes.
A trader, who wanted to be known only as Su, 34, said her sales have fallen to about RM100 a day.
"Since the sinkhole incident, many people have stopped coming. They told me that they don't want to come anymore (out of fear).
"We are hoping more tourists will come here."
On Aug 23, G. Vijaya Lakshmi, 48, a tourist from India, went missing after falling into an 8m-deep sinkhole in Jalan Masjid India while heading to a temple.
A nine-day search for her involving more than 115 personnel yielded no results.