Mayor urged to clarify plans for TTDI market

By Veena Babulal | 0 comments


KUALA LUMPUR: The meeting on the proposed redevelopment of the Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) market will be held at 5pm on Feb 27 at the neighbourhood's community centre in Jalan Burhanuddin Helmi.


Traders have started a signature campaign to keep the market at its current site. Pic by Azhar Ramli

Those invited to the meeting, chaired by mayor Tan Sri Ahmad Fuad Ismail, include traders, residents, a development company,  architect consultancy firm and My Rapid Transit (MRT) Corporation.

The meeting is expected to address rumours and contradicting statements on the market's redevelopment plans.

  In January, Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin said the market would  remain at its current site. But, he also said that it would be  incorporated into the redevelopment of the area.

He also reportedly said that the TTDI mass rapid transit  (MRT)  station would be near the market and that  redevelopment plans would be discussed with traders.

However a report, published recently, said the mayor would hold a meeting to discuss the  MRT station which is expected to be built around the market.

He was also reported as saying that  if traders agreed to relocate, City Hall would find them a suitable location in the area and build a new market.

Market Traders Association president Jenny Loo hoped the meeting would clear the air on the market's fate.

"We are in a limbo because we have been kept in the dark for long. We have also not been able to contact the mayor since he made the statement," Loo said.

She claimed that they had not been able to get through to the mayor  since rumours  about  the  market's demolition  and redevelopment surfaced late last year.

She  said  the letter that the association  had received from the mayor's office  did not say anything about the meeting's agenda.

"Why these statements now, when both the site of the station and the route were approved by the prime minister last year?" asked association adviser Ramli Ismail.

He noted that the  authorities had already decided to build the MRT station  at the site of the  Caltex petrol station.

Ramli also added  that the location  of the MRT station and the route were fixed after residents objected to having the  station near the TTDI Fire Brigade.

"I hope these questions will be addressed during the meeting because the traders  do not want to move.

"We already went through one relocation from Central Market 25 years ago. Now, we have a modern, clean and accessible  market.    We don't want to  start again somewhere new.

"We have started a signature campaign to keep  the market here. We  have 10,000 signatures. If the matter escalates we will compile the signatures together with our objections and send it to the Prime Minister and the FT Minister," Ramli added.

Segambut member of parliament Lim Lip Eng, who called for the press conference on Tuesday, said  the mayor must explain his statement that the station would be built around the wet market.

He added that his visits to the MRT public displays and meetings with residents did not show the wet market was obstructing the line or was anywhere near the market.