Hi hi, people’s power work!! The Bazaria Project Shelved!! It is clear that the so called Komuniti Bestari Parlimen Seputeh is a BN entity, and it must be closely linked to UMNO. As residents and tax payers in Seputeh, we must make sure that such project which is unwelcomed by the people not to be restored again.
From The Star
2 November 2007
The bazaria project in Bandar Baru Sri Petaling , Kuala Lumpur, has been put on hold following protests from the business community in the neighbourhood.
According to Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) director-general Datuk Salleh Yusup, the project is shelved untill matter is sorted out with the community.
The bazaria- something like a flea market and food court- is a community project under a programme called Komuniti Bestari Parlimen Seputeh, which is meant to provide low-income earners an avenue to earn a living.
However, residents and the business community are against the bazaria being located on the land which had earlier been designeted a green area.
The land at Jalan Radin Anum 4, near The Store supermarket, was initially meant for a wet market and bus terminal but was later gazetted as a green lung.
According to some residents, they were shocked when the bazaria project started without their conscent.
Gary Chong, who operates a restaurant in the area, said that building the bazaria would be very unfair to the business community in the vicinity, as it would affect their business.
” We are paying high rentals to run our business here, and we also paying assessment fees. As it is, the illegal hawker stalls in the neighbourhood are already effecting our business,” Chong said.
” Once the bazaria opens, that would further put a dent to our business, as people would prefer to have cheap hawker food.” he said.
According to Chong, business had dropped 30% since the illegal hawkers began mushrooming in Sri Petaling.
Sri Petaling Residents Association advisor S.K. Wong said that he was opposed to the bazaria being uilt on the land meant for public relaxation and recreaction.
” The land was initially meant for a wet market and bus terminal. In fact, we needed a wet market, as Dri Petaling does not have one. But the project never came through.
” A few years ago, we heard that the land was earmarked for four blocks of medium-cost flats. We objected to it and the project wa scrapped too. It is supposed to be a green lung now,” Wong said.
John Stevens said that the bazaria would only create more congestion, as the place was already choked with traffic.
Meanwhile, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok had raised the bazaria issue in Parliment in September and has even lodged a report with Anti-Corruption Agency on Oct 24.
” When I raised the matter in Parliamentary secretary Yew Teong Look had answered that no approval had been given for the bazaria and he even confirmed that the land has been gazetted as a green area,” she said.
Eddie Lai, the manager of the bazaria, told StarMetro that the since the initial plan to build a bus terminal did not come through, the authorities decided to have a bazaria.
” The project is meant to create a buzz in the area and inject some life here in the evenings,” Lai said, pointing out that the area where the land is located is dark and quiet.
” The bazaria will bring in the crowd and, in the process, help the businesses in the neighbourhood as well provide poor people a chance to make some extra money,” he said.
If built, the bazaria will have some 300 stalls and will be operational from 7pm to 2am.
There are similar bazarias in the Bandar Tun Razak and Wangsa Maju constituencies.
bravo YB, well done.
after all the blatant sweeping under the carpet, at least we can see something right!