Traders complain road closures ruined Deepavali business

 

Little India in Klang, where traders said road closures for a Deepavali event had affected business.

PETALING JAYA: A Deepavali celebration in Jalan Tengku Kelana, better known as Little India Klang has turned sour after traders complained that business has been affected because of road closures.

Klang Little India Association president Charles Manickam said many shoppers could not enter the area to make last-minute purchases to celebrate Deepavali.

Manickam said the Deepavali event on Saturday was hosted by the office of Selangor executive councillor V Ganabatirau.

“I received a phone call from Ganabatirau’s secretary mentioning that there will be a Deepavali celebration from Oct 20 to Oct 22 attended by Selangor menteri besar Amirudin Shari, Ganabatirau and the Raja Muda of Selangor, Tengku Amir Shah.

“However, it was only a courtesy call. We could not give our opinion about the event and how it would have affected many businesses,” he told FMT.

Manickam said many traders were upset and had recorded losses amounting to around RM100,000.

He also pointed out that a huge stage on the street had deterred many shoppers from entering the area.

He said PKR president Anwar Ibrahim had visited Little India on Friday and asked for the tents (on the street) to be moved to a nearby field “but it never happened”.

Nalan Muniandy, a Klang municipal councillor, said there were many complaints from shoppers as they could not enter the premises or find parking.

“Usually there is a meeting if an event is held, but we did not receive a phone call. We only found out about a Deepavali dinner on Oct 22 where Amirudin was to show up,” he said.

Muniandy said Ganabatirau’s office should have informed the traders beforehand.

“Every year, Jalan Tengku Kelana will be crowded but this year, I didn’t see that. I was there on Saturday and some shops were already closing at 9.30pm. This has greatly affected traders,” he said.

Ganabatirau, who is Selangor DAP vice-chairman, has been the subject of speculation as a possible candidate for the Klang parliamentary constituency, to replace party colleague Charles Santiago.

Political observers have speculated that DAP might move Santiago, who has served three terms in Klang, to another seat. - FMT