Yiing (right) with staff checking on missing drain covers.
EATERIES and hotel operators in Sibu, Sarawak, need to put up “No Smoking” signs on their toilet doors or risk getting compounded by the local authority, a councillor warns.
Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) was taking action on this as it had become very common for smokers to puff away in hotel and eatery toilets, said councillor Yiing Sy Huat, who is deputy chairman of the standing committee on public health, environment and municipal services.
He said SMC had received public complaints regarding the habit of some smokers who lit up cigarettes in the toilet.
“Our inspection is to ensure that the premises in question display or affix smoking ban signs in the toilets and also ensure that the ventilation ducts are working properly,” he said during an inspection operation on hotels and restaurants around town.
Yiing urged all premises concerned to cooperate with the council to deal with the problem.
“This time we only gave verbal warning to instruct them to display the ‘No Smoking’ sign.
“If there is still no action from them, we may issue a compound notice,” he said.
Apart from ensuring ‘No Smoking’ signs are displayed, the operation also included checking kitchens of hotels and restaurants for cleanliness and inspection of their waste disposal drainage system.
Yiing added that the operation would be carried out every month on all hotel premises, restaurants and coffeeshops.
Also participating in the operation were several other standing committee members as well as six council staff members.
