BY BRENDA CH'NG
Another stop-work order has been issued to the developer of a mixed-development project in Section 17, after cement rained down on morning market traders along Jalan 17/29 on Saturday.
The first stop-work order was issued in April this year when part of the fixtures almost came tumbling down, had it not been for the safety nets.
A row of 128 morning market traders sits right below the construction site, which is bordered by Jalan 17/44, Jalan 17/27, Jalan 17/38 and Jalan 17/29.
"This is really scary and no one feels safe anymore, not us traders and definitely not our customers," said Section 17 morning market chairman Low Chun Foo.
He said the falling cement caused a scare as customers ran away from the stalls screaming.
During the ordeal, one of the traders did not manage to escape as cement fell directly on her, while her stall, which sells fresh food, was also covered in cement.
"The cement not only hit the stalls but also fell onto a car and lorry, including the shop opposite our market," said Low.
Despite having a roof built by developers to shield the market, some cement still penetrated and part of the roof is now damaged.
According to traders, the developers previously agreed to stop construction on the market side during business hours and only resume work in the afternoon when the market closes, every day.
"However, they started working on our side during trading hours for over a week and we closed one eye because nothing happened, but now we cannot keep quiet anymore.
"More so, when the person in charge came to tell us that they will just pay us and everything will be fine," he said, adding luckily no one was seriously hurt or dead.
Traders are also worried that their customers will stop coming due to these unforeseen accidents.
When contacted, Bukit Gasing assemblyman R Rajiv stressed that work could not continue until all safety concerns are addressed to prevent incidents like this from happening in future.
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"We cannot have this recurring, it is just pure carelessness. Developers were not even supposed to be carrying out work on the market side during trading hours," he said.
He further urged those responsible to repair the damaged roof immediately and compensate all traders involved.
Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) public relations officer Zainun Zakaria confirmed that the stop-work order has been issued and is effective immediately.
"This stop-work order will be in effect until further notice. We will have a discussion with the deputy mayor on Tuesday for the next course of action," she said.
Meanwhile, the project's public relations consultant Shalini Sockalingam explained that the incident was caused by a cement spill and they are still investigating the matter.
"Our people are already on site carrying out the cleaning process and are also repairing whatever was damaged," she said, adding that all construction work has ceased.
