COMPENSATE TRADERS HIT BY FLOOD

Joyce Tagal Jun 13, 07 6:09pm

Consumers associations have called on the government to compensate traders who were affected in Sunday’s flash flood in Kuala Lumpur. National Consumer Complaints Center (NCCC) director Darshan Singh said the traders who suffered were all tax-paying citizens and therefore should be compensated for the damages incurred. He argued that the flood was not a natural disaster and could have been averted. "This is not the first time, such floods have occurred in the area before." he said. "The government has failed in its duty to provide a safe environment to live and carry out business." Selangor and Wilayah Persekutuan Consumer's Association (SWPCA) president Mohd Yusof Abdul Rahman said he hoped that government agencies like development banks would offer aid to the traders. "DBKL (Kuala Lumpur City Hall) has to investigate the sources of Sunday's floods and fix the problems so that it does not happen again." he said. "We are worried that if the city centre keeps flooding, the traders will give up their businesses and move elsewhere." Yusof also said he had high hopes for the flood management portion of the Smart tunnel, but hoped that the government would prioritise flood investigations over toll collection. Ahead of schedule Yesterday, Irrigation and Drainage Department (DID) director-general Keizrul Abdullah announced yesterday that the Smart floodwater channel would be ready by June 23, a week ahead of schedule. According to Bernama, Keizrul said that the department was speeding up all flood mitigation measures. Other efforts will include the installation of pump systems in low-lying areas and construction of flood bypasses. "We will also upgrade the flood forecast and alert system. We've started sending flood warnings to Shah Alam residents by SMS (short messaging service)," he was quoted as saying. Malaysiakini