Ling (in blue) speaking to a fireman after the fire at the wet market in Jalan Templer on March 31, 2022. A new market will be built to replace the old one. — Filepic
YONG Peng will have a new wet market soon to replace the old one that burnt down last year.
Yong Peng assemblyman Ling Tian Soon said the Johor Development Office had a meeting on Feb 12 to discuss the construction project with the Yong Peng District Council (MDYP).
The meeting was chaired by the office’s director Rahman Mohd Din as it was the body funding the project, he said.
“Most of the old market in Jalan Templer was destroyed in a late night fire last March, leaving the traders with a lack of space to conduct their business.
“There are 19 traders in total at the market, which was run by a private company, and after the fire, about half of them had to rent shops around the area to sell their items,” he told StarMetro.
Ling, who is also Johor health and unity committee chairman, said he met up with the traders in October last year to explain that the process to rebuild and upgrade the market would take a longer time.
This was because the building and stalls belonged to different entities so a lot of discussions had to take place, he explained.
“They understood the situation and asked for the project to begin after the Chinese New Year celebration in order to avoid disrupting their business in the build-up to the festive season.“Following the Feb 12 meeting to discuss the building plans and fund allocation, the next step is opening the project for tender to interested parties.
“MDYP will meet with the traders after that to brief them about the project.
“Hopefully everything goes on smoothly and Yong Peng will soon have a brand new market, which provides a more comfortable and systematic space for the traders and customers,” said Ling.
The state exco member added that the land and new market would be managed by the district council.
On March 31 last year, a 2.30am fire reportedly destroyed at least 70% of the market. There were no casualties.
In an immediate response, Ayer Hitam MP Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong instructed Ling to hand out a financial aid of RM1,000 to each of the traders affected by the fire.
