By Teoh El Sen
PETALING JAYA: Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar has urged Deputy Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister M Saravanan to "fix" several problems plaguing the temporary stalls at Jalan Chan Ah Tong in Brickfields.
These temporary stalls were erected while the Little India project gets under way.
"The work is appalling. We condemn the contractor, Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd (MRCB), for its shoddy job,” Nurul said.
Following complaints from the hawkers, Nurul visited the new site for them at Jalan Chan Ah Tong and promptly received a barrage of complaints from them.
"The traders in these temporary stalls in Brickfields are facing numerous problems such as inadequate irrigation. I was told the water does not flow at all. This causes floods, which damage their property," said Nurul, who is urging Saravanan to get MRCB to reimburse RM2,000 to the traders whose property was damaged.
She said also that the roofs were not properly built and when it rained, traders were unable to continue their business as water would drip into their stalls.
Nurul added that security in the area is also in question.
"There is no guarantee that thieves won't break in as there are no safety grills,” she said.
Moreover, Nurul said that on hot days, customers feel uncomfortable sitting under the zinc roofs.
"As a result, I am told traders are losing between RM2,000 and RM3,000 per day because customers are not frequenting the site."
'MRCB doesn't deserve the contract'
The toilets, too, are not in working order and the garbage is not collected regularly.
"I urge Saravanan to fix these problems. He should ask MRCB to complete the stalls properly to make them comfortable to both traders and customers," said Nurul.
She also criticised the government for awarding MRCB the contract for the Little India project. “Clearly, MRCB does not deserve it. We demand compensation from MRCB for not doing a proper job,” she said.
Nurul also said she was told that "MIC is involved in the selection of hawkers. (If that is true), we demand government display the list of permanent and temporary hawkers for the public to see."
The RM35 million Little India project to boost tourism involves building a multi-storey carpark, a high-end Indian bazaar, souvenir centres and a food court. There will be about 50 stalls on the 1,800 sq m field selling food, flowers and fruits.
