KUALA LUMPUR - The redevelopment of the Dato Keramat Market, here, will be done in phases and is expected to begin as early as 2024 after it was delayed for over five years.
Sinotech Properties Development Sdn Bhd project director Mohd Zaili Mohd Zainordin said the company had applied for planning permission from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall and it was currently being revised and would be finalised next month.
He said according to plans, the new and modern market, equipped with elevated parking lots, areas for wet as well as dry markets and could accommodate 333 traders, would be built at the site of Perumahan Awam (PA) Perlis 1, located next to the original market site.
"During the early stages of the project, we will complete the construction of 108 replacement houses for PA Perlis 1 in Gurney Heights which is expected to begin this September.
"When the project is completed within two years, the PA Perlis 1 residents will be moved to their new homes and only after the current building has been vacated, it will be demolished to make way for the construction of the new Dato Keramat Market,” he told Bernama recently.
Commenting further, Mohd Zaili said a 1,200-units serviced apartment would be built at the original site of the Dato Keramat Market, adding that the entire project would take between five and seven years to complete.
"The construction needs to be done in phases and carefully because we don’t want to disrupt the daily operation of the existing market,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Mahadi Che Ngah, when contacted, said the development plan for the project had been approved.
"The original building of the Dato Keramat Market is almost 40 years old and we are facing problems to carry out maintenance work on the existing infrastructure such as the wiring and drainage systems. Also, there are insufficient parking lots.
"The area that supports the economy of city folks needs to be upgraded for the comfort and safety of traders and visitors in the future,” he said.
Federal Territory Malay Hawkers and Petty Traders Association Dato Keramat branch chairman Mohamed Tarmizi Mohamed Akil hoped that the proposed development of the new market would provide a win-win situation for traders who have been making a living there for a long time.
He also hoped that the association would be given the opportunity to get involved in engagement sessions so that it can obtain the latest information on the redevelopment project and submit any suggestions.
"We (traders) have been here for a long time and we hope that our business will continue to grow when we move to the new location.
"We don’t want to face any problems in the future and we want the authorities to give an assurance that the project will benefit us,” he said. - BERNAMA