THE Kuala Lumpur city authority rounded up 140 homeless people in the city yesterday night in efforts to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Mayor Mahadi Che Ngah said the homeless would be housed at temporary shelters in Sentul Perdana and Setiawangsa until the end of February, when they would be brought to the Homeless Transformation Centre where they would be trained and then put on a job placement programme.

“Here, they will be given skills training to prepare them for permanent employment  to earn a living. The courses planned include basic skills for urban agricultural projects and other suitable skills,” he said in a statement today.

Last night, Mahadi participated in an integrated operation involving 95 personnel from the police, the Social Welfare Department, Health Ministry and the Immigration Department.

Meanwhile Mahadi said DBKL was looking into a comprehensive solution to tackle the problem of homelessness, apart from providing them with shelter.

“We are looking into a more structured programme to facilitate management in terms of food distribution to this group by non-governmental organisations or private parties. 

“It is not appropriate to go on with the current food distribution system in the city centre because besides the traffic congestion it leaves a negative impact on municipal management.” – Bernama, January 24, 2021.