MPP to make new hawker centre conducive

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Hawkers at Kpg Bumbok prefer to stay put at the dilapidated stalls at the roadside that have been able to attract customers over the years.

Hawkers at Kpg Bumbok prefer to stay put at the dilapidated stalls at the roadside that have been able to attract customers over the years.

KUCHING: Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) will improve the new hawker centre at Kpg Bumbok, Batu Kitang with adequate facilities to make the place more conducive for both hawkers and customers.

Its chairman Lo Khere Chiang said he could understand why the hawkers were reluctant to move to the new hawker centre due to the inconvenient access, absence of parking spaces and lighting.

“What is happening is that the construction of the hawker centre is completed and we are now in the process of installing the lighting. We are faced with a problem whereby the transformer is too expensive so are looking into an alternative source of energy such as solar to light up the place,” Lo told The Borneo Post when contacted recently.

He was responding to a complaint brought up by PKR Women national vice president Voon Shiak Ni on behalf of the hawkers, that the new hawker centre which the locals called ‘rejected hawker centre’ was not conducive for them to trade due inadequate facilities.

Besides complaining about no electricity and water connections, Voon said they were reluctant to move into the hawker centre as customers would find it inconvenient to patronise a place with no parking spaces, inconvenient access and no proper lighting.

Instead of moving to a new place with not guarantee of attracting customers, they preferred to stay put at the dilapidated stalls at the roadside that had been attracting customers over the years.

“They have been there for a long time and they are worried business might be affected if they were to move to the building put up by MPP. I noticed that the building put up by MPP is not by the roadside and for customers to patronise the stalls there, they need to turn into a junction.

“And I also noticed there are no parking places for cars and although there is a road cutting through the site leading into Kpg Bumbok, this road will not facilitate or encourage customers to turn in and patronise the stalls as not everyone will want to waste their time to make a big round to come out from Kpg Bumbok to the main road.

“I can only say there is a lack of proper planning before the approval of this project.”

Voon suggested that if the building is meant to give the hawkers of Kpg Bumbok a better place to trade, MPP needs to make sure it is conducive for hawkers to trade and the setting must be attractive for the public to patronise.

She said this is to enable the hawkers keep their business as some of the families there depend on hawking for their livelihood.

In his response, Lo said MPP noted the grouses of the local people and promised to look into the matter.

“We are going to find a way to improve the access in and out of the hawker centre and provide sufficient car park to attract people to the new hawker centre.”

He admitted that MPP faced a small problem because the state Public Works Department was not in favour of opening up the access at the T-junction due to safety reasons, which was currently blocked with a guard rail.

“We need a proper and convenient access. Otherwise customers will not drive in there and the hawkers will not find it feasible to move to the hawker centre.”

Lo said the reason why the hawkers were encouraged to move to the hawker centre was because they were currently trading in a very precarious place, as the sheds they used were dilapidated and on a steep slope which could be dangerous to both hawkers and customers.

“That was the reason why we decided to build a place for them to trade. In fact, few years ago when we first approached the village folks with this idea, they were in favour of it, but now they are a bit apprehensive as the hawker centre is unable to attract customers.”