JOHOR BARU: Raising the rent at the Taman Suria market here by a drastic 700% is "burdensome" to the tenants, says Local Government Development Deputy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir.
He said the stall owners had voiced out against the hike, which was decided by the market’s management - a private developer.
It was learned that some traders would see an even higher increase as they were currently paying a monthly rental ranging from RM40 to RM100, depending on the stall location.
"They got a shock when the developer recently informed them of the hike to RM800 a month.
"The traders were upset as there was also a possibility that they will be replaced by the developer if they fail to comply," the Johor Baru MP said in a statement on Sunday (June 25).
He said many tenants felt that the developer’s demand was unreasonable and burdensome as the stalls had not been doing well.
"They complained that business has been on the decline since they moved to Taman Suria from Taman Sri Tebrau in 2015, some seeing a drop in sales by half.
"My special officer Mohammad Salleh Ahmad and representatives from the Stulang assemblyman’s office met with the stall owners on Sunday to listen to their grouses.
"The traders are all against the hike and we will raise the issue with the developer soon," he added.
