The infrastructure redevelopment crisis at the nearly 50-year-old Datuk Keramat Market here is expected to be resolved soon as it has been listed as one of the potential sites identified for development through urban renewal.
A Bernama survey of the market, built on a former mining site and inaugurated in 1977 by then-Prime Minister Tun Hussein Onn, found that the premises are now in a deteriorating state.
Despite its ageing condition, many stalls remain operational, selling fresh produce such as chicken and meat, kitchen essentials, and some offering tailoring services, making it a key hub for the local community.
One of the market’s earliest traders, Shuhaili Abdul Shukor, 62, said the marker’s redevelopment should be carried out with the involvement of the Datuk Keramat Branch of the Federal Territory Malay Hawkers and Small Traders Association (PPPKMWP) to maintain its traditional heritage design and features.
The woman, who started doing business by helping her parents sell meat at the market, said most traders support upgrading the market for better safety and comfort.
What they are concerned about is being relocated to an unsuitable site, she said, adding that traders have been informed about the planned redevelopment of the market, with work expected to begin early this year.
“We were told that during the redevelopment process, more than 300 businesses operating at the market will be temporarily relocated to a nearby area,” she said.
Meanwhile, a coconut milk trader, requesting to be identified only as Tengku Ghazali, 63, expressed gratitude that the government is finally taking steps to improve the infrastructure at the Datuk Keramat Market, despite the high costs involved.
“If possible, we hope the modification to be carried out will maintain the original heritage features of this market,” he said.
Tengku Ghazali, who has been trading at Pasar Datuk Keramat since 1978, said they had heard promises to upgrade the market for years, but no efforts were made to implement it.
On July 26 last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, also the Minister of Finance, visited the market and instructed Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to give attention and priority to the redevelopment of the market, which was described as very dilapidated.
According to Minister of Housing and Local Government Nga Kor Ming, the Urban Renewal Bill aims to facilitate urban renewal projects by lowering the consent threshold for en-bloc sales of strata title properties and ensuring a more orderly process for negotiations, while also preserving cultural heritage elements.
He said the selection criteria for the areas involved are based on physical conditions, infrastructure, utilities and the management of communal properties, all of which can affect the deterioration of quality of life, the economy, and the environment, making them no longer conducive or even dangerous. — BERNAMA
