Jalan Hang Tuah Ramadan Bazaar back on this year

MELAKA, March 17  -- The Jalan Hang Tuah Ramadan Bazaar will come back to life during the fasting month which begins next month after it was cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Melaka Historic City Council (MBMB) mayor Datuk Zainal Abu said about 100 business sites are expected to be opened in the area, with strict adherence to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) set by the government.

He said the bazaar, which has become a tradition during the fasting month, was among the eight Ramadan bazaars expected to open this year, apart from the two new Ramadan bazaar sites proposed at the Hang Jebat Stadium and Mahkota Parade shopping mall.

"So far, it is expected that a minimum of 100 business sites will be opened in each bazaar but we are not involved in allocating the Ramadan bazaar sites because they will be managed by the traders' association.

"We also expect the number of applications for the Ramadan bazaar sites in the state to increase by 50 per cent as more residents in Melaka make business a source of livelihood due to the COVID-19 pandemic," he said when contacted here today.

He said more than 1,000 applications were expected this year, compared to about 700 traders in 2019.

Meanwhile, state Local Government and Environment Committee chairman Datuk Seri Abdul Ghafaar Atan said the increase in applications was also driven by the state government's initiative through the one-year 'Melaka Bebas Berniaga' campaign.

"We expected this but we will put an additional condition that any trader who wants to get a business site must register through the MySejahtera app get the vaccine shot," he said.

-- BERNAMA