IPOH, March 8 (Bernama) -- Ipoh City Council (MBI) will take stern actions against Ramadan bazaar traders found renting their bazaar sites to other parties.

Ipoh mayor, Datuk Rumaizi Baharin said the council will not compromise with those who rent their sites at a higher rate to other traders.

According to him, even though there were no reports in the previous years, there were irresponsible individuals who carried out such practices and MBI will continue to monitor the matter.

"We have informed MBI enforcers to strictly monitor all Ramadan Bazaars to ensure no traders violate the regulation.

"If we found traders renting out their sites, we will straight away compound and blacklist them,” he told a  media conference here today.

He said this after officiating the 2024 Assessment Tax Lucky Draw at Dewan Azlan Shah, near here today.

Rumaizi added that a total of 1,128 Ramadan bazaar licenses were approved by MBI involving 24 locations throughout the city of Ipoh this year.

"MBI also coordinates licenses of bazaars organised by hawker associations, entrepreneur cooperatives, mosque and surau committee members as well as private agencies.

"The payment rate set by MBI for organisers is RM750 including tent rental, license and cleaning charges, but most organisers only charge RM650," he said.

He said, the uniqueness of this year's MBI Ramadan Bazaar is to use an environmentally friendly concept through enviromentally friendly activities in all bazaars operated by MBI.

"We encourage the use of biodegradable food packaging and take-home food containers by bazaar visitors, including the collection of used cooking oil from all bazaar traders for the purpose of recycling it into  'biofuel'.

"We are also running the MySafeFood@Ramadan 2024 programme which is the distribution of unsold surplus food that will be collected by Pemuda Gema Perak from bazaar traders in Taman Cempaka and Medan Gopeng to be distributed to the needy," he said.

 -- BERNAMA