Kuala Lumpur’s vibrant food scene thrives on streetside dining, but unauthorised eateries encroaching on public spaces are costing DBKL millions in lost revenue.
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00:00The vibrant food scene in Kuala Lumpur thrives on street-side dining, but unauthorized eateries
00:09encroaching on public spaces are costing DBKL millions of ringgit in lost revenue.
00:15Such illegal set-ups have turned public spaces into private profit zones.
00:20Under DBKL guidelines, restaurant and cafe operators must pay 20 to 50 ringgit per table
00:26a month, and provide a security deposit of up to 10,000 ringgit, depending on the number
00:32of tables.
00:33Only licensed businesses with approved permits and display of the permit sticker can place
00:38tables and chairs at designated areas, and even then, there are restrictions on the size,
00:43placement and operating hours.
00:45But with widespread disregard for these rules, DBKL lost a great deal of money in uncollected
00:52fees and deposits each year.
00:54DBKL said outdoor dining is not a free-for-all, and applications for table and chair permits
01:00must go through a special committee called Kerja, which reviews each request before approval.
01:06Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department Director, Senior Assistant Fire Commissioner Hassan
01:12Asari Omar, said authorities allow the placement of tables and chairs as long as they can be
01:18quickly removed.
01:20He said the real problem is when businesses permanently fix tables to the ground, violating
01:25the six-metre rule and obstructing emergency response efforts.
01:30DBKL said from January 2024 until now, they had issued 3,094 violation notices and conducted
01:38212 operations against such businesses.
01:41They had confiscated 2,008 tables, 1,949 chairs and 1,538 other business-related items.
01:52They said businesses must keep their spaces clean and remove tables and chairs after hours.
01:58They added that they have the authority to seize the items if businesses exceed their
02:02permit allocation or permitted hours.
02:11For more information, visit www.fema.gov