About 30 hawkers without permits issued notice

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Photo depicts the hustle and bustle at the Sunday Market. — Photo by Peter Boon

SIBU: Hawkers without any valid permit can no longer trade at the Sunday Market here.

Yesterday, the Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) issued notices to more than 30 hawkers who were without permits.

According to SMC Market and Petty Traders Standing Committee chairman Councillor Albert Tiang, the weekend market is now off limit to any trader without permit.

“Based on information received from the council’s enforcement personnel on the ground, over 30 notices were issued. However, we allowed them to clear their goods for the day.

“They are not allowed to trade at the Sunday Market tomorrow (today), and if they came, we would ask them to leave,” he said when asked about the number of notices issued yesterday.

Tiang said the move was necessary to control the number of hawkers at the weekend market in compliance with the standard operating procedures (SOP), meant to break the chain of Covid-19 infection.

He said the first round of application for permit had been on first-come, first-served basis. The second round, however, would involve casting of lots.

“When the laying of concrete over the open space behind the shophouses at Jalan Indah, which houses the Sunday Market, to accommodate smaller stalls is completed by end of September, we would call the applicants to draw lots. For example, if an applicant draws a lot with a number, a permit would be issued, but if it is empty, we would have to say sorry.”

According to Tiang, about 200 applications for the permits are pending. There are about 180 hawkers at the weekend market – from this number, 30 are without any permit.

The Sunday Market began operations at its new location (Pasar Tamu Indah) on Aug 1, after it was relocated from Jalan Mahsuri. It opens from 6am to 11am, every Saturday and Sunday.