The first-floor food court at Larkin Sentral has been quiet since the fire. — Photos: THOMAS YONG/The Star
BUSINESS has been poor for hawkers at Larkin Sentral in Johor Baru since the early morning fire on July 23.
Fadir Mohd Yusuf, who sells apam balik at the first-floor food court, said his sales dropped by at least half after the blaze which destroyed four shops there.
“The first-floor access to the food court was cordoned off as it was also damaged by the fire, so I think many people thought that we were closed.
“The food court is usually busy from 9am until lunch hour but it has been quite empty since the incident.
“I hope that the authorities will speed up their investigations so that the area can be cleared up and repaired,” the 49-year-old said when interviewed by StarMetro recently.
Another hawker, Goh Soi Chong, 79, said he had cut down his operating hours due to the significant drop in customers.
Fadir: Many people thought we were closed for business.
“Following the incident, the market’s management advised us to stop operating for two days,” he said.
When Goh reopened his stall serving kopitiam favourites like toast bread and coffee two days later, he noticed the usual crowd was no longer there because from the ground floor, it looked as if the food court was closed due to the canvas covering the burnt area.”
Larkin Sentral also houses a bus terminal and wet market.
“I hope the management can put up signage to inform the public and passengers at the terminal that the food court and shops on the first floor are open as usual,” said Goh, who has been running his stall for 19 years.
The 6.50am fire on July 23 razed two bookstores, a perfume shop and another selling cosmetics and herbs.
Bus passenger S. Meera, 39, was relieved that the fire did not affect the bus services at the terminal as she commutes to Singapore for work daily.
“I was glad that the management was quick to direct passengers to a safe area to board their buses so that our journey was not disrupted,” she said.
Goh: I hope signs can be put up to inform the public we are open.
Ticketing counter attendant Muhd Nazrul Nor Azman said many other passengers shared similar concerns about the status of the bus services after the fire.
“On the day of the incident, all services including express bus, city bus like Bas Muafakat and MyBAS, and the Malaysia-Singapore cross-border bus went on as usual, but passengers had to board the buses by the road outside instead of the usual platforms.“By around 10.30am on the same day, bus operations were moved to platforms located further away from the scene of the fire for safety purposes.
“At present, people can still buy their tickets online or at the kiosks at the bus terminal and enjoy the bus services as usual,” he said, adding that updates would be posted on the Larkin Sentral Facebook page from time to time.
In a statement, management body Larkin Sentral Property Bhd said operations at the bus terminal were restored at 5.30am on July 24 while the wet market, bazaar and food court started operating as usual from July 25.
“These areas, including the platforms and mosque areas, are accessible except for the areas affected by the fire on the ground and first floors, which will remain closed until further notice,” it said.
