Hawkers in 'Little India' see little business

By Patrick Lee - Free Malaysia Today

KUALA LUMPUR: Some call it a refugee camp. Some call it a construction site. Nestled near the the Tun Sambanthan-Travers junction in Brickfields, few know it as a hawker centre.

Hidden from public eye, the 68-lot centre is wedged between Jalan Tun Sambanthan and Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad, and spared the dust and smoke from nearby traffic.

It is also spared from one very important factor: customers.

Built against the main road, patrons in search of a meal tend to overlook these stalls, and head for the more obvious targets. Some, however, visit the lots nearest to their unsigned entrance, ignoring the ones further down.

VJ's Corner is one such lot. Its proprietor V Balasinggam, 57, has been frying burgers since the 80s. Three months ago, he was easily handing out over 100 buns a day. Today, he struggles to even sell 20.

A rarity among local burger sellers (most of whom are Malay), Balasinggam has been plying his trade for over 30 years. These past three months, however, have been one of his worst spells.

“It's a loss to be here, as we are making nothing,” he told FMT.

Trading in Brickfields for over 30 years, Rosni Zain has been facing a hard time since he was

relocated here by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) in mid-July, along with many other hawkers.

“Last time I was okay,” the vexed trader told FMT. “But now business has gone down by half. The only reason I am still in business is because of my regulars. Even then, my earnings are only enough for me to survive.”

Nothing in black and white

The relocation is part of the RM35-million “Little India” project, destined to turn Brickfields into a cultural hotspot, like Jalan Melayu and Petaling Street before it.

As old as the city itself, Brickfields was once home to a Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) depot and its accompanying quarters. The depot is now gone, replaced by the more contemporary KL Sentral business district.

In recent months, DBKL has gone to great lengths to transform this largely Indian residential district into something a little more commercial.

Old sidewalks have been ripped out in favour of larger, cemented ones. New tar has been stretched out over the roads, with brand new lamp posts and decorative arches lining both sides of the streets.

A massive fountain now sits at the intersection of Jalan Travers and Jalan Tun Sambanthan. At 7.62 metres, it will be the tallest of its kind in Malaysia.

But perhaps the biggest change here is the flow of traffic. Once a two-way system, most main roads here have now become one-way.

With construction undertaken by Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd (MRCB), a government-linked company, the Little India project commenced in late June and was supposed to have been completed by Oct 15.

First built in June, the hawker centre was only meant as a temporary fill-in. The hawkers would return to their original locations after the development in the area was over.

“We appreciate their efforts in renovating the old place and putting us back there,” said Selvaraja Pillai, who plans to re-open his foodstall once development works are completed.

He added that the hawkers even came up with a “thank-you” banner for the government during the recent Merdeka celebrations.

However, none of them have seen this confirmation of being allowed to return to their previous location in black and white and are relying on the Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Ministry's verbal promises.

They also don't know what will happen to the temporary hawker centre after they have been moved back.

When FMT spoke to the Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Deputy Minister M Saravanan, he said it was up to MRCB to do as it liked with the centre when all the construction dust had settled in Little India.

Not that it matters to the traders of the unnamed hawker centre, who had little say in the matter. Very few of them knew or heard about Little India until they saw the plans in the newspaper. Some did not even receive notices to vacate their former premises until the very last minute. They were moved to the centre in mid-July.

'11 shops selling mee goreng'

Once scattered along various spots, now they are forced to operate side-by-side. “Many of the stalls are selling the same thing,” said Selvaraja. “Eleven shops here sell mee goreng. How are we going to make business?”

Only half of the lots here are open for business. Like peas in a pod, all of them are similarly built. Larger businesses have had to take in two lots.

Ventilation in the lots is a short space between the zinc roof and brick wall. Compactly built, cooking smoke invades the airspace, something the hawkers never had to contend with before.

While there are roofs for the lots themselves, there is no proper cover for the walkways where patrons sit to eat. A few purple canopies have been provided by DBKL, but they are few and far in between.

Some of the traders have installed their own makeshift roofs for the walkways, crafted from zinc, wood and tarp. This poor cover is especially felt during heavy rain. In the afternoon heat, the place is akin to a furnace.

Although bitter with their relocation, a few are wary about talking to the media. While none of them have been expressly threatened by the authorities, the fear of retribution is still there.

One lady even tried to stop the writer from jotting down notes.

The hawkers claimed that Saravanan has asked them why they talked to the media instead of going to him directly.

“As ordinary people, we didn't know how to approach them (the minister),” said a hawker, who declined to be named, adding that Saravanan visits the centre every week.

“Maybe they are shy, or they don't know how to ask (questions),” the hawker added. “They fear that if they talk to the media, they will be 'punished'. They fear not being able to go back (to their original locations).”