PEOPLE from the lower income group in Petaling Jaya will be given the opportunity to rent stalls in the PJ Old Town wet market, said Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) councillor Ermee Marianna Saadon.

She said a recent audit of the market by MBPJ found that 59 lots out of 516 are vacant and of them, 30% would be allocated for the B40 group.

“A total of 59 shops are vacant and we will allocate 30% of them to the B40 group while the other 70% will be allocated to other residents of Petaling Jaya that comprises the M40 group and the rest,” she said in a press conference today after attending a briefing session with traders at Dewan Sivik in Petaling Jaya.

She said MBPJ is committed in uplifting the living standards of its residents, adding that the council is willing to have another briefing session for interested applicants from the B40 group.

Ermee said MBPJ will also help those who have difficulties coming up with the capital.

“If they do not have the capital to start the business, we can help them get a loan from Hijrah Selangor.

“Hijrah Selangor works to help traders that want to start a business. Before, they used to offer help up until RM2,000 but now they have increased it and are giving up to RM5,000. This might help them,” she said.

Besides this, Ermee said licensed traders will not be allowed to lease out their premises and must operate their business there.

She said if a tenant is not able to handle the business anymore, they should rightfully return the lot to the council and not give the premise to their family members or to their next of kin.

“Subletting the premises is strictly prohibited.

“If an owner cannot handle the business and wants to give up, they should return the premises to the council because it needs to be rented again, not to be kept by the same family for generations.

“If any of the family members are interested, they have to apply through the city council,” she said.

Asked on the rental fee, Ermee said it will be increased after several years.

Meanwhile, cleaning and maintenance costs, which were borne by MBPJ previously, will now be charged to traders in additional monthly charges.

“The rent charged by MBPJ is very low and it includes the utilities as well, while the licence is free.

“So, for the next six months, there will be an increase of monthly rental up to RM400 and this will cover the cleaning and maintenance of the place, hence giving convenience for the traders and visitors,” she said.

She also said foreign workers will not be allowed to work in the market, except for those registered with services such as cleaning.

The PJ Old Town market will reopen for business this Saturday after it was locked down due to Covid-19 cases detected there. – June 4, 2020.