Karaoke: Four Penampang eateries are compounded
Published on: Friday, March 03, 2023
By: Sidney Skinner
The agency’s personnel check on the night- time goings-on inside an eatery in the district.
The District Council is cracking down on eatery owners who operate karaokes – or host bands at their premises – illegally in Penampang, with a total of RM13,000 in compounds being issued for such misdemeanours over the past few months.Four operators were penalised between RM4,000–RM2,000 for contravening the Public Entertainments Ordinance 1958 (Amendment 2003) between December and February.
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A Council spokesman said the relevant audio equipment was also confiscated in these instances.
“The proprietors were licensed to run cafés and not public entertainment outlets,” he said.
“To make matters worse, some premises were still open around 2am or 3am – well beyond the Council’s stipulated operating hours for cafes.
“The owners also did not have our approval to use sound mixers, which we found in their units.”
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He said these individuals were instructed to be more mindful about the noise generated by their respective activities.
The spokesman said a total of 17 eateries were checked during five separate inspections carried out by a 10-man team from the Council’s Enforcement Division over the last three months.
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These premises were located along Jalan Pintas Donggongon, Jalan Bundusan, Jalan Penampang, Jalan Kobusak-Nosoob and Jalan Penampang- Tambunan, according to him.
He said inspections were made on December 2, December 13, January 7, February 2 and February 21.
“Six officers from the Penampang Police Station joined our personnel for the first operation.
“We undertook this surveillance to pinpoint which eateries were not adhering to our stipulations as regards their operating hours.
He said cafes and eateries which served alcoholic beverages, including beer-joints, around the district were supposed to be shuttered by 12am.
“Karaokes can open till 1am from Monday till Thursday and till 2am on Friday and Saturday.”
The spokesman said its Enforcement Officers recorded the particulars of several establishments, which were found to be “bending” the Council’s requirements, during the checks.
“The managements of these premises were reminded about the conditions which their employers agreed to prior to receiving their licence from us.”
On top of this, he said, compounds totalling about RM300 were issued for violations committed under the Council’s (Food and Eating Premises) By-laws 1978.
He said the agency would continue to monitor the goings-on at eateries around the district.
“Shop-operators who persist in defying the Public Entertainments Ordinance risk having legal action taken against them.
“Should they be found guilty in court, they face the possibility of having to settle a fine of up to RM50,000, serve up to one year in jail or both.”
ANNETHA of Penampang decried the loud music coming from several shops at Pintas Avenue, saying that the noise was particularly intrusive between midnight and 4.30am.
“It is difficult for those of us living near the commercial centre to get a good night’s rest because of this nuisance,” she said.
“The throbbing bass from the amplifiers at these establishments is especially pronounced in the wee hours, when the ambient noise of the traffic dies down.”
She said she and her neighbours had been suffering from a lack of sleep “for years” because of the din.
“In 2020, 28 of us, who stay nearby, petitioned the Council to step in and restore the some tranquillity to our area.
“We still cannot sleep peacefully at night three years on.”
Annetha was under the impression that that most of the pubs and karaoke joints at Pintas Avenue were not sound-proofed and wondered how this requirement could have been overlooked.
She wanted to know if the proprietors were licensed to operate karaokes in their units.
“Even if they do, are the owners really allowed to open their shops till the early hours of the morning?”
“I hope the Council will intervene to put an end to this noise pollution. It is a potential health hazard which has deprived me of sleep and caused me undue stress.”
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