Traders rally at PM's door as gloomy Deepavali looms

With only about two weeks left to Deepavali, some 40 Brickfields petty traders today took to Putrajaya in a last ditch attempt to have their traditional festive bazaar site restored.

Converging outside the Prime Minister's Department under the scorching afternoon sun, the traders unfurled banners and chanted slogans, appealing for Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to intervene in the matter.

The protest comes after weeks of negotiations with the Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Ministry failed to yield results.

The traders are upset that their Deepavali bazaar site had been moved from Jalan Tun Sambathan - the main Brickfields thoroughfare - to the inner street Jalan Berhala, which they say has adversely affected their business.

"There is only about two weeks left before the bazaar ends. Business in the new area is very bad.

“I will not be able to recoup my investment if they don't let us move back," said a frustrated garments trader Joseph Nathan.

[More to follow]