Tuesday November 25, 2008

City Hall: Only 24 outlets have applied for permits to place tables outside premises

By CHRISTINA LOW

MALAYSIANS enjoy having their favourite bowl of noodles or a glass of teh tarik with friends just about anywhere, even if it means sitting on side walks or road junctions.

Such “hot” spots are a popular sight during nights when international football matches are screened at restaurants late into the night.

This had encouraged many food outlets to place tables and chairs outside their premises, often on parking lots, to cater to the large demand from their customers.

All set: Station One Products Sdn Bhd senior adviser Frankie Ng (left) having a closer look at the sticker as Azraei (second from left).

However, this can get out of hand and pose a danger to the customers as cars try to squeeze past stretches of tables placed on both sides of the road.

In an effort to solve the problem, Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Ab Hakim Borhan had announced in August that temporary permits for such restaurant operators would be issued so they could operate outside their premises from Sept 1.

Ab Hakim said he understood that it had become a trend for city residents to eat outside the restaurants and, to cater to such demand, eateries had placed tables in open areas to attract more customers.

The temporary permits were meant to control the number of tables placed outside and make it easier to carry out enforcement.

Two months after the implementation of the system, StarMetro was told that 24 restaurants in the city had been issued the permit although more than a hundred forms had been given out.

Last week, we accompanied officers from Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s (DBKL) health department on their rounds and discovered that many restaurateurs had no idea of the permits while others simply did not bother and continued to place tables illegally.

“It is not difficult to apply for the licence but these traders are just lazy and do not want to take the hassle of submitting the forms,” the DBKL hygiene and sanitation division head R. Azraei Ramli said.

All set: Station One employees placing the sticker on the tables outside their premises.

Azraei said in order to be given the permits, restaurants had to abide by several guidelines, such as the location of the tables, time of operation, size of tables, public liability insurance, restrictions and downpayment.

Among the locations allowed are sidewalks, endlots with space, non-busy roads, dead-end roads and road corners that are at least 10 feet wide.

He said when sending in their applications, owners would have to include a plan of where the tables would be placed and photographs of the location.

“We want to know if the tables are the correct size and the location does not obstruct the walkway,” he said, adding that placing tables on roads was not allowed.

Taking advantage: Some restaurants have taken it a step further and placed cooking stations outside the premises.

Traders are only allowed to place their tables outside from noon to 2pm and from 6pm to 3am daily.

At present, Azraei said the department was only issuing temporary permits lasting six months to the traders.

“After six months we will visit their restaurants again to check the area before we determine if we should extend their permits,” he said.

At present, the DBKL allows each restaurant to place up to a maximum of 20 tables with four chairs each. The licence is priced at RM30 per table a month. New operators would have to apply for the licence through the licensing department.

The number of tables allowed depends on the location and size of the restaurant.

“If the restaurant applies for 10 tables but the area can only accommodate five, then we would only issue a permit for those five tables.

“We do not want to see tables obstructing traffic, staircases, parking lots, fire hydrants and ATM centres,” Azraei said.

Licence, please: DBKL Officers checking on illegal tables outside restaurants.

A triangular orange sticker issued by the DBKL would have to be placed on each of the tables, stating that the premises had the proper licences.

Azraei urged the restaurants in Kuala Lumpur to apply for the temporary permits soon as his officers were on their rounds daily to compound and to educate traders on the permits.

Compounds for such an offence is fixed at RM500 regardless of the number of tables placed outside.

“If the customers know of any restaurant placing their tables outside in an unorganised way or without permits, they can contact us,” Azraei added.

The DBKL Health Department is located at 4th Mile, Jalan Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, and can be reached at 03-9284 5166 ext 140/136.