IPOH – The Ipoh City Council (MBI) will hold face-to-face meetings for hawker licences.
City mayor Datuk Rumaizi Baharin said this is to prevent misuse of the identity cards of the deceased.
He said that both new applicants and those applying for renewals will be required to attend face-to-face interviews before obtaining approval.
“Thus far, we have received 147 applications and we will conduct interviews, and applicants need to attend (the interview) to obtain the approval instead of just showing their identity cards,” he said.
Rumaizi was speaking to reporters at the go green campaign dubbed ‘Hijaukan Bumi Kita, Selamatkan Generasi Akan Datang’, organised by the Pasir Pinji zone council in collaboration with the Perak Silver State Lions Club here today.
However, Rumaizi said that thus far, MBI had yet to detect any cases of individuals using identity cards of those who have died for hawker licence applications.
On Thursday, it emerged that the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) had approved over 500 hawker licence applications and renewals via identity cards of people who have died over the past three years.
According to the Auditor-General Report 2019 Series 1, checks conducted on the DBKL e-Lesen system, as well as records obtained from the National Registration Department (NRD), found that a total of 575 applications for hawker licences – seven new and 568 renewals – using dead individuals’ identity cards, were approved between 2017 and 2019.
Rumaizi also said that stern action would be taken, including licence revocation, if such cases were detected.
“I suggest that local authorities scrutinise all applicants before approval is given to prevent misconduct and fraud,” he said.
Earlier, at the event, Rumaizi also planted several species of shade trees in the effort to support the Low Carbon City by 2030 vision. – Bernama, December 12, 2020
