Klang’s Little India traders lament poor Deepavali sales

They claim the imposition of GST, and the Klang Municipal Council’s decision to relocate them to an unsuitable site has contributed to slow business.

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KLANG: With just a few days remaining before Deepavali is celebrated by the Indian community, traders at the “Little India” enclave here are bemoaning that sales have dwindled every year with the past few weeks being the worst.

One stall operator who wished to be named as Madam Dalbir, said the situation had deteriorated over the last two years after she moved to a section earmarked by the Klang Municipal Council (MPK).

“This year has been the most severe. It’s been a few days since we had any people coming,” said the trader who was selling traditional Indian sweets and cakes on a five-foot way before MPK relocated her and several others to a lane behind Little India.

“Since they threw us here, we have had no customers and the Deepavali festival is just a few days away,” she told FMT.

The 55-year-old, who has been doing business for the last three decades urged MPK to move her and the other 20-odd petty traders to the original sites where their businesses thrived.

P Lokaswary berkata perniagaan nampak menurun tahun ini berbanding tahun-tahun sebelumnya.

Textile sales assistant P Lokaswary, 46, who sells traditional attire for men and women, also said profits had dipped this year compared to previous years.

“Last year things were alright but this year has not been so. The customers are not coming. People are not even buying sarees like before,” she said.

She said two reasons for the decline in sales were the implementation of the goods and services tax (GST) at a standard rate of 6%, and the relocation of the traders to an unsuitable site.

Pengusaha gerai mengadu perniagaan mereka merudum selepas berpindah ke kawasan ini.

“Two years ago, we had many small stalls in the area that attracted many people who would go around to make their purchases,” she said. “That has not happened this year.”

FMT found Indian businesses along the main road of Jalan Tengku Kelana within the Little India area to also be quiet and experiencing slow sales.

Deepavali, the festival of light, will be observed on Oct 18 by followers of the Hindu, Sikh and Jain religions throughout the world. -FMT