Crackdown on illegal KK hawkers
Published on: Thursday, November 07, 2019
City Hall is in the process of cracking down on illegal hawkers, including those who operate on the verges of roads around the State Capital.
A City Hall spokesman said the latter contravened with the agency’s ordinance as vendors were not permitted to set up their stalls on the reserve land beside these stretches.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Our officers recently confiscated the wares of hawkers found occupying the road shoulder near the main exit from City Mall Shopping Centre,” he said.
“Such action was taken as these individuals refused to heed our warnings to stop setting up their stalls along this section of the Kolombong-Lintas Ring Road.”
He said City Hall staff had earlier compounded these vendors as they had disregarded the initial verbal instructions to cease their activities.
“Compounds were also given to hawkers who had set up their stall near the junction to the Puspakom office along the same stretch.”
ADVERTISEMENT
The spokesman said the vendors at both locations were found to be unlicensed.
Under the Hawkers By-Laws, such individuals can be compounded up to RM500, according to him.
ADVERTISEMENT
“In worst cases, they can also be taken to court, where they risk being slapped with a maximum RM 5,000 fine.”
He was responding to a complaint about safety hazards posed by the stalls set up along the verges of several roads around Kota Kinabalu.
DAS of Penampang decried the actions of such vendors as being “reckless”.
“By doing this, they not only endanger themselves but their customers as well,” he said.
“They and their patrons run the risk of being knocked down by motorists.”
He said drivers, who stopped to go to the stalls, often created a jam along the road.
“They park cars very close to the edge of the road, so drivers have to decelerate to go round these vehicles.
“During the peak hour after work, this may cause the traffic to bank up and create a jam.”
Das also questioned the hygiene of food and drinks being sold by these hawkers.
“These items will surely be contaminated by the dust stirred by the traffic and exhaust fumes given off by passing vehicles.”
He hoped the relevant authority would act on the problems created by these vendors before the situation got out of hand.
Das furnished Hotline with three separate locations where he had seen these stalls, including in the Kolombong and Bukit Padang areas. This information was forwarded to City Hall.
Another spokesman for the agency said its staff carried out inspections at each of these locations shortly after the agency became aware of this problem.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
