RESIDENTS in Lucky Garden, Bangsar are urging Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to relocate a row of food stalls along Jalan Ara Kiri 3 to a more conducive site.



Taman Lucky Rukun Tetangga chairman Aruljothi Kanagaretnam said stalls were originally operating at Lorong Ara Kiri but were moved to the present site because of the Commonwealth Games in 1998.



“It was an eyesore and DBKL moved the stalls to the present location, which was meant to be a temporary site.



“They were then supposed to move to Bangsar Selera food court, but they refused to,” he said in a press conference.



Bangsar Selera, formerly known as the Jolly Green Giant, was popular for its hawker food in the 1980s and 1990s.



Aruljothi said the residents proposed for the stalls to be moved to the Bangsar Selera complex once renovation was completed as it was nearby and seen as the best site.



He also said the presence of the food stalls caused traffic congestion, cleanliness, security and noise pollution.



“The current location is meant to be a car park for patrons of restaurants in the area, but now the number of parking bays has been reduced,” he said.



He also highlighted the fact that traffic tended to back up as Jalan Cenderai was used as the main entry point to the stalls, Lucky Garden Shopping Centre, TMC supermarket, and the wet market.



“Stall patrons would double-park near the stalls, making the road almost impassable,” Aruljothi said.



He also said cleanliness at the stalls was an issue.



“The rubbish, which is not properly disposed, attracts the presence of rats, cockroaches and even snakes,” he said.



Aruljothi added there were two liquor shops near the stalls, and this had led to patrons buying liquor and sitting at the stalls until the wee hours of the morning.



“They create a lot of noise and break into fights,” he said, adding that they were not against the stall owners making a living but they had to do it in a more conducive place.



“I am also a patron, but they need to be placed at a proper site,” he said.



A resident staying nearby the stalls, R. Usha Devi, 52, was worried for her children’s safety.



“As a mother and woman, I'm worried that the stalls are attracting shady characters. It is not safe anymore. I'm worried to even leave my children at home alone,” said Usha, who lived that for 24 years.



She said once her mother had an asthma attack and she could not take her to the hospital as the stall customers parked their vehicles in front of her houses, blocking the entrance.



Vinobha Vellapan, 43, a lawyer, said her car was stolen when her house was broken into three years ago.



“People sitting at the stalls can monitor the movements of the residents,” she added.



Lembah Pantai Umno chief Datuk Seri Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin, who was present at the press conference, said he would put forward the residents’ proposal to relocated the food stalls to Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.



When asked if he would talk to the stall owners, he said he would leave it to DBKL.



“We hope for a win-win situation for both the residents and the stall owners,” he said, adding that Lembah Pantai deputy Umno chief Datuk Ramlan Askolani had spoken to DBKL executive director (socio-economic development) Datuk Ibrahim Yusoff on the matter.



Fruit seller Lim Koon Guan, 57, who operated in Lorong Ara Kiri 3, said he did not want to move his stall anywhere else.



“I have been here for more than 42 years, and we have a licence by DBKL to operate here.



“We are fine if DBKL wants to upgrade our current stalls but we do not want to move,” he said.

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