KUALA TERENGGANU: Traders at Medan Selera Batu Buruk 3, here, have appealed to the Kuala Terengganu City Council (MBKT) to reduce rental of their food court stalls due to declining sales since the Covid-19 pandemic. The rental is currently RM500 a month.
Medan Selera Batu Buruk 3 Traders Association vice-chairman Raja Nazri Raja Sapie, 40, said they hoped the rent will be reduced to RM200 or RM250 a month, as these are the rates at MBKT food courts in other locations
“Our sales have dipped 80 per cent causing traders to be at a loss on how to find finances to pay their monthly rental, besides arrears that have accumulated since last year.
“More worrisome is that the MBKT has issued warning notices that it will padlock premises or terminate rent agreements if we do not pay the arrears. There are traders whose arrears have chalked up to RM7,000. How are these traders to find the cash to settle arrears in this unstable economic situation,“ he told reporters, here, today.
This food court, which began operations in January 2017, has been the focus of staff and visitors of the Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital (HSNZ), here, but business began to drop after the hospital authorities had to limit the numbers of visitors to the hospital as a precautionary measure due to the pandemic.
One of the traders, Rozlinda Yusof, 46, said the food court’s location, which was relatively hidden from the main road, coupled with the parking charges imposed by MBKT, also deterred customers from patronising the place.
“You can say that about 90 per cent of our customers are HSNZ staff but the opening of two cafeterias in the hospital has affected our business too and some traders have had to pawn items to pay employees’ salaries, stall rental as well as utility bills,“ said the kuih (cakes) seller
There are 18 lots in this food court but only 14 traders continue to conduct business.
Meanwhile, MBKT Valuation and Property Management Department assistant director Ahmad Suhaimi Embong, when contacted by Bernama, said MBKT is always willing to help traders affected by the pandemic and had given rent exemption for two months last year in June and July
“Regarding the old arrears, the traders have been also given the flexibility to settle them in stages so as not to feel burdened,“ he added. — Bernama
