A thorn in durian traders' business

PETALING JAYA: Fans of the popular durian hotspot in SS2 will now have to go to Section 19 to get their "fix" - the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) has ordered the traders to move.

Petaling Jaya city councillor for SS2 Lee Suet Sen said the traders did not have a proper structure to run their business and were operating on parking lots.

"Their business attracted a lot of people and we gave them temporary licences to operate," he said.

Then, cleanliness and congestion became an issue. "And, traders were given until May 17 to move but failed to comply," he said.

Lee said they appealed for more time.

On Thursday afternoon, council enforcement officers ordered them out by the evening.

During a visit by The Star, council contractors were seen clearing the area of the debris left behind by the traders.

A staff from one of the relocated durian stalls handed out flyers to visitors with a map of the new location.

The area had been boarded and a signboard placed outside, stating that it was now a site for a proposed business block.

Traders are unhappy with their new premises. They said it was small and expressed unhappiness that they were asked to move out within a day.

Donald's Durian owner Cynthia Teh said the current location had limited space for patrons to sit.

"Business will definitely suffer," she said.

A staff at one of the durian stalls also echoed that business would likely drop with the new location. "But we will continue to operate from here and see how it goes."

The council in a statement said the relocation was to address parking problems in the area.