Lim Lip Eng

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TTDI market relocation sparks protest Posted: 28 Nov 2011 05:23 PM PST The TTDI market attracts shoppers from all over the Klang Valley. It is also notable for being among the cleanest wet markets in the city. Pic by Nurul Shafina Jemenon Source: http://www.nst.com.my/streets/central/ttdi-market-relocation-sparks-protest-1.12118 (By NOEL ACHARIAM, 29/11/2011) The Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) Residents' Association (RA) and TTDI Market Traders Association are saying no to the demolition or relocation of the market. Instead, they want the 25-year-old complex upgraded. The associations also want a pedestrian bridge and a multi-storey car park built for the convenience of the shoppers and commuters, in line with the development of the Sungai Buloh-Kajang MRT station, near the Caltex petrol station. TTDI Market Traders Association deputy chairman Mohd Zaini Zainal Abidin said they had heard two years ago that the market would be demolished to make way for development. It was only last month that it was confirmed that a development proposal had been submitted to City Hall. "We want this market to be retained. Not a single one of us will agree to any new development here. We had stated so when there was a proposal for an MRT station here. Together with the TTDI RA, we will submit a proposal to City Hall for the construction of a pedestrian bridge to connect the market, and a multi-storey car park on the parking lot adjacent to the market. This way, it is a win-win situation for both market goers and those wanting to board the MRT "Building these could be a form of corporate social responsibility, and the connectivity could boost MRT ridership," he said. Currently, the market has 150 parking bays catering for an average of 1,000 visitors daily from all over the Klang Valley. The market, he added, was in dire need of upgrading. The areas needing attention are the public toilets and leaking pipes. The last enhancement work to take place was about five years ago, when the walls on the first floor were given a fresh coat of paint. The market's traders were relocated here from the former Central Market in Jalan Hang Kasturi. TTDI Market Traders Association advisor Ramli Ismail said the market must be maintained for its sentimental value and history. "We must think about how difficult it was for the traders to shift here back then, and how they have worked hard to make their business grow. "It is not fair to them. We will be sad if this market ceases to exist here. Where would the shoppers, who have been coming here for so long, go?" he said. Also present were TTDI RA chairman Mohd Hatim Abdullah, TTDI Market Traders Association president Jenny Loo and Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng. Lim said he was informed of the proposal by a private developer to redevelop the land on which the market sits by Mayor Tan Sri Ahmad Fuad Ismail. "However, he told me it has neither been approved nor rejected. He said the opinions of the traders would be taken into consideration before a decision was made. The views of residents should also be taken into account. I will support the majority's view," he said. Jenny Hong, who has sold soya bean milk and tau fu far at the market for as long as the market has stood, was unhappy about the proposal to demolish the market, which she said was a second home to her. "I have formed a special bond with the residents and visitors. We have become friends after so long," she said. Fishmonger Ng Kean Leong, whose grandfather started the business in Central Market back in 1987, said there was no need of re-development in the already high-density TTDI. "More importantly, I cannot imagine not doing business here. My family was in Central Market and here for a very long time," said the 27-year-old. Lawyer M.Idris, who has lived in TTDI and shopped at the market since 1986, said: "This market needs to be upgraded, not moved. It is a meeting place for TTDI folk, and where families go to shop. "It is nice and clean, and it caters for not only TTDI folk, but also Damansara Heights, Seri Hartamas and Kota Damansara folk." Related news: TTDI traders hope for integration with MRT line http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2011/11/29/central/9990877&sec=central

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