GEORGE TOWN: Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming's visit to Penang to announce over RM200mil in allocations for housing-related projects may have been good news to many.
The Penang Island City Council's (MBPP) act of reserving a stretch of parking bays for Nga's entourage outside a restaurant on Campbell Street, however, has drawn flak from business operators nearby.
The parking bays, some 30 of them, were cleared and reserved by MBPP employees at 10pm Thursday (June 22).
It was said that several cars parked there overnight were moved to make space along the stretch where Nga was scheduled to have lunch at a famous eatery.
About 15 cars in the entourage arrived together with Nga to take up the reserved lots on Friday (June 23) afternoon.
They left about an hour later and the parking bays were released for public use.
"This is a busy street (with) limited parking bays.
"With the entire stretch taken up, how are customers going to reach us?" asked a clothes seller who wished to be known only as Yap.
Another trader who declined to be named said only a few parking bays should have been reserved for a VIP, not that many.
"They should be more considerate towards the people.
"They (the VIPs) have drivers to drop them off, (so) they should walk a bit to feel what the people actually feel," he said.
Meanwhile, MBPP mayor Datuk A Rajendran said cars that were parked there overnight were moved to nearby spots but not towed as claimed.
Earlier, Nga had announced over RM200mil in allocations for 41 housing-related projects in Penang.
