KUALA LUMPUR, June 19 (Bernama) -- The Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has earmarked RM200 million to modernise and overhaul hawker stalls at 287 sites throughout Kuala Lumpur, under its latest Lestari Niaga @ Kuala Lumpur 2026 initiative.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh said the large-scale initiative would benefit over 11,000 small traders and hawkers, ensuring they can operate in a safer, more organised, and conducive environment.
She said DBKL always adopts a fair approach by considering the voices of all stakeholders, including residents, traders, and building tenants, when implementing relocation and upgrading programmes for hawker areas.
“This year, DBKL will roll out the programme (Lestari Niaga @ Kuala Lumpur) across multiple locations. On the issue of relocating small traders, the council must balance a range of perspectives, including residents who demand smooth traffic flow, the traders themselves, and building tenants looking to run their businesses.
"We must ensure fairness to everyone involved, as each group has its own views on the most suitable locations," she told reporters today after inspecting the hawker stall upgrades near UTC Sentul.
Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Seri Fadlun Mak Ujud and Batu MP P. Prabakaran also attended the event.
Addressing the recently viral UTC Sentul hawker upgrade project, Hannah noted that DBKL had hosted stakeholder engagement sessions and had shaped its redevelopment plans based on the feedback received.
Emphasising that the redevelopment work launched on June 15 does not aim to drive out traders, she noted the RM1.6 million initiative will replace existing structures with 20 modern modular kiosks slated for completion within three months, just before October.
Meanwhile, Fadlun said that to ease the financial burden on the 20 active traders affected during the construction period, DBKL is introducing a first-ever special monthly financial assistance of RM1,500.
Providing direct financial assistance is far more efficient than setting up temporary trading sites, she noted, adding that such sites are often costly and poorly located, which ultimately reduces customer turnout.
According to Fadlun, similar simultaneous projects backed by the special incentive are set to expand to locations such as Jalan Dato Senu, Pudu Ulu, and Bandar Tun Razak.
Regarding the Lestari Niaga programme, Fadlun said the funding would involve various categories of hawkers under DBKL’s supervision in stages.
"In total, this initiative covers 287 sites and impacts around 11,000 business owners. Our immediate focus for the initial phase will be on 224 locations, encompassing a wide range of hawker setups.
"Of the total, over 4,000 are street hawkers, while another 5,000 operate under the mayor’s assets, and the remaining balance of around 1,000 involves those in the reapplication category," she said.
-- BERNAMA
