PETALING Jaya City Council (MBPJ) is considering extending the operating hours for entertainment outlets in the city, following requests from stakeholders during a recent tourism workshop.
Mayor Mohamad Zahri Samingon said the city council planned to hold a workshop in January with the relevant parties to explore the proposal further.
He said they would discuss the feasibility of longer business hours for entertainment premises besides zoning matters.
“During the tourism workshop earlier this month, there was a request from partners to extend the operating hours to 3am, similar to Kuala Lumpur.
“We will engage with all relevant stakeholders, such as associations involved in hotels and food and beverage, state government representatives from the Selangor Economic Planning Unit and possibly other local councils for their views,” he said after presenting awards to new entrepreneurs during a ceremony at the MBPJ headquarters yesterday.
He added that findings from the workshop would be submitted to the state government, which would make the final decision.
There are 338 licensed entertainment outlets in the city.
Mohamad Zahri said the workshop was initially planned for December but was postponed to January due to the festive season.
“We plan to inform stakeholders in early January so they can participate in the discussion,” he said.
The mayor said that currently only four or five entertainment outlets in hotels in Petaling Jaya were allowed to operate until 3am.
Mohamad Zahri also said the current directive on entertainment zones, issued by the Selangor state secretariat in 2008, was 16 years old and needed to be reviewed to reflect current economic conditions and demands.
He said that as part of the study, the city council would consider updating zoning for entertainment areas.
During a full board meeting, the mayor announced that MBPJ was reviewing its penalties for business licence violations.
Under the current system, penalties are imposed cumulatively over the licensure duration, with deductions on collaterals ranging from 10% for a first violation to a complete forfeiture for a fourth offence.
“We are discussing the possibility of reviewing penalties on an annual basis instead of over the entire licensure period,” he said.
Most violations involve outlets operating beyond their permitted hours or issues with employee permits.
On operating permits for traders for the Chinese New Year period, Mohamad Zahri said they would take effect from Dec 26 to Jan 28.
MBPJ has designated 47 lots at four locations for traders to set up stalls in markets in Jalan Othman, Taman Megah, Kampung Sungai Cempaka and Sungai Way.
