MIRI: Miri City Council (MCC) will maintain the operating hours of its services and payment counters at Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) Miri from 8am to 7pm every day except on public holidays when the counters are closed.
Mayor Adam Yii said the decision was made after considering the many requests from members of the public who felt inconvenient with the UTC’s new operating hours as instructed by the federal Ministry of Finance.
“The UTC is under federal Ministry of Finance. The ministry has instructed for new operating hours of the centre to be from 10am until 7pm during weekdays and 8am until 5pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
“But our council staff had received feedback from the people who said they strongly felt that the new operating hours are not suitable for them. Because of that we have decided to maintain our previous operating hours at the centre,” he stated to the media after chairing a full council meeting yesterday.
At the meantime, Yii said MCC will seek advice from the state government to get better solution to the matter.
“Perhaps the state government or Ministry of Local Government and Housing have better suggestion on how to address the matter.
“As far as MCC is concerned, we will maintain the operating hours for our services and payment counters at UTC Miri like before, from 8am until 7pm.”
Earlier during the full council meeting, councillor Kueh Chie Tong, who is chairman of MCC’s markets, traders, hawkers standing committee, gave an update on the progress of renovation works at several council markets throughout the city.
He said the renovation work at Miri Central and Unity markets now stood at 30 per cent completion while construction of the new market at Luak area was 25 per cent completed and renovation work for Lutong market was progressing well at 20 per cent completion.