KUCHING: Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) has spent nearly RM1 million to upgrade the roads, improve the drains and build a new hawker centre complete with proper parking lots and access roads for the Bidayuh traders at Kpg Bumbok.
MPP Chairman and Batu Kitang Assemblyman, Lo Khere Chiang revealed this to the press yesterday.
He added that MPP had held numerous dialogue sessions with the traders in the village hall, at the new hawker centre and even at the council level.
All parties involved had agreed to further improvements of the new hawker centre to meet the needs of traders and customers .
“These will include installing the electricity and water supplies, more lights, sun shades, signboards and even a container storeroom for the traders to store all their valuables,” said Lo.
He added most of the traders had agreed to move to the new hawker centre.
There were, however, a few traders who wanted to remain at the old trading stalls.
Lo said that evicting the old roadside hawker stalls was a collective decision made by the council after taking into consideration the arguments heard from all the traders.
“If all the traders cooperate and trade at the newly-built hawker centre, there will be business for everybody,” added Lo.