The days of foreigners using licences 'rented' from local traders to operate hawker stalls in the city are numbered.

With muscle from the police and immigration authorities, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) will swoop on errant foreigners operating in among others, the Jalan Raja Bot market in Chow Kit.

DBKL suspects that the foreigners had 'rented' the licences at exorbitant rates from local traders to conduct their businesses at popular areas as licences were only issued to locals.

The mayor, Ahmad Phesal Talib, is not amused.

He minced no words when he warned that DBKL would revoke the licences and confiscate stalls of errant local traders if they were found to have 'rented' them out to the foreigners.

"The action by certain local traders to set a high rental for their stalls to immigrant hawkers to generate income, without carrying out the business themselves, is among the main factors for the flood of foreign hawkers.

"They know foreigners will pay the rate, no matter how high. This shows the irresponsible attitude of the local traders with regard to the licence we issued them," he told reporters after launching the Aidiladha sacrificial programme involving 39 cows, organised by Masjid Negara today.

Redevelopment of Raja Bot market

Meanwhile, Ahmad Phesal said the re-development of the Jalan Raja Bot market did not mean the issue would be settled, so long as local traders and hawkers allowed the foreigners to use their licence.

The market, which began operations in 1955, can accommodate over 1,500 stalls.

Ahmad Phesal said 2,000 units of stalls would be built, as part of the re-development of the Jalan Raja Bot market.

The project would begin early next year and was expected to be completed in 2017, he said.

At the event, he also flagged-off a convoy of 10 vehicles loaded with meat from the sacrificial slaughter for distribution to the orang asli settlements in Selangor.

The convoy would also deliver cows to the locations for similar sacrifice.

- Bernama