The government's initiative to upgrade the hawker centres in Bandar Sri Permaisuri, including the installation of additional roofs in the open space in front of each eatery, has brought much comfort to the customers.
Traders said their turnover increased by 10 per cent after the government doubled the seating capacity for customers under the newly installed additional roof.
The additional roof, estimated to be 15 metres (m) wide and 155m long, was fully installed by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) contractor in July.
Sup Meletup stall owner, Zolkhoari Abdil Aziz expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for quick approval of his application.
“We, as traders here, feel that the government is serious about helping us, as many applications have been submitted since this hawker centre started operations 10 years ago.
"So we are very lucky that he (Anwar) visited this hawker centre in December last year and immediately resolved the issue which had been delayed for a long time,” he told Bernama.
On Feb 24, Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, in tabling Budget 2023, said RM50 million was allocated to build and upgrade 3,000 stalls and kiosk in focal locations nationwide.
On Sept 4, the Prime Minister, when officiating the Lestari Niaga@Kuala Lumpur D’Medan Selera Madani initiative at Kompleks Tun Sambanthan, announced an additional allocation of RM10 million to upgrade stalls throughout Kuala Lumpur.
A customer, Khairani Ishak, said the move to upgrade the hawker centre was timely as it was a popular hangout for those who come to dine with their family or friends due to iits varied menu and reasonable prices.
“Before the additional roofing, the dining area was quite cramped. It was also hot, not to mention busy at peak times when many were having lunch. Now it is more comfortable for everyone who eats here," she said.
Tomyam stall operator Mohd Saddam Ali hopes that the application to expand the parking area will be given due consideration as the existing space is not enough and is often used by irresponsible parties.
He also added that a new car park needs to be built on the vacant land next to the hawker centre car park, but this is not yet possible due to its green status.
“The current public car park has 64 parking bays meant for hawker centre visitors, but that is not enough. There are flat owners nearby who park their vehicles here haphazardly, causing inconvenience to customers who visit the centre,” he said.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency