Chowrasta traders cry foul over relocation plan

GEORGE TOWN: Traders at Jalan Chowrasta are crying foul over the Penang Island City Council's (MBPP) plan to relocate the morning market traders from Jalan Kuala Kangsar closer to their stalls.
About 20 traders held placards and banners calling on the MBPP to scrap the idea.
Bakar Noordin, 54, who sells assorted sour pickles said the council should take into consideration the views of the traders on the matter.
"We have suffered enough during the construction period, which took more than the required time to complete but we were still patient.
"But now things have become contradictory, instead of a pedestrian mall with a clean and green environment to pull in more customers to enhance our business, we are getting the mess from the other street," he told reporters.
He said the proposed relocation would create a congestion and discourage customers who would find the area cramped.
Building owner Gopal Krishan, 52, also said the relocation plan would not be ideal.
He said the tenants had presented their views to the council during a meeting at the management room in Chowrasta Market on March 7 in the presence of Komtar state assemblyman Teh Lai Heng and a consultant.
When contacted, MBPP Councillor Ong Ah Teong said the views of the traders will be taken into consideration.
"The council will decide what is the next course of action after this," he said briefly to theSun when contacted.
theSun also contacted Teh to get his views on the matter.
He said the plan has actually been in the works since 2012 and traders in the area have been informed about the relocation.
Teh said the objective of the plan was to boost trading activity in the area.
"It is not a new thing, the plan has been mooted a long time ago," he said.