Fear and anxiety grip Jalan Masjid India community after sinkhole that swallowed woman

Traders and shopkeepers in Jalan Masjid India, which made global headlines last month after a sinkhole on a pavement swallowed an Indian national, are finding it hard to carry on with their daily activities, accusing the authorities of not taking serious and concrete measures to ensure that such a tragedy does not happen again.

Since last month, businesses in this shopping district, which has become a magnet for foreign tourists wanting to experience the "less flashy" side of Kuala Lumpur, have been struggling with financial losses after roads were closed to facilitate a frantic search and rescue operation that failed to find Vijaya Lakshmi Gali, a 48-year-old woman who fell into an eight-metre-deep hole on Aug 23.

Their biggest concern, however, is not profits, but a repeat of the tragedy with further fatalities.

"It's only a matter of time before another sinkhole appears. The roads here are uneven and many parts have sunk," a trader, who only wanted to be called Hasan, told MalaysiaNow during a visit to the area a few days after the rescue operation was called off.

Hasan questioned the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), saying it had yet to give convincing assurances that such an incident would not happen again.

He also criticised DBKL for merely cordoning off the affected areas with tape.

"This is a safety issue," he added.

"Imagine if the incident had happened two or three hours later, there would have been many deaths."

Concerns were heightened by the occurrence of another sinkhole in the same area, not far from the police station.

The Aug 23 landslide occurred on Friday morning, a day when Jalan Masjid India would be thronged with Muslim worshippers taking the same route as Vijayalakshmi.

"Imagine if the incident had happened two or three hours later, there would have been many deaths," said trader Mohamad Shaifudeen, who is also the secretary of Masjid India Business Association (MIBA).

Miba is one of several active groups representing thousands of traders in Jalan Masjid India, an area named after the Indian mosque built in 1883, around which a thriving shopping district soon developed with hotels, restaurants, jewellery shops and textile shops.

The traders said their complaints about security on Jalan Masjid India were not new and had been raised for years without any action from the authorities, especially DBKL.

These include the actions of illegal hawkers setting up shops on the pavement, blocking emergency lanes and illegally laying electricity cables.

There were also calls for a better organised bazaar atmosphere.

Rohana Mohammad Nasir of the Batu Road Retailers Association (Barra) said the recent presence of political leaders such as Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof and Federal Territories Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa during the search and rescue operation had given traders the opportunity to address their grievances directly to government leaders.

Rohana, however, said they were prevented from doing so by officials.

"Is that fair? So I posted a statement on Fadillah's Facebook: 'Come election season, don't look for us'," Rohana told MalaysiaNow.

Earlier, Zaliha had stated that DBKL would conduct a mapping of underground utility networks and soil structure studies in the capital.

Just this week, Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming had dismissed the Jalan Masjid India incident as an isolated case.

Instead, Nga said that authorities regularly conducted soil structural integrity studies, adding that Kuala Lumpur was safe.

Rohana claimed that DBKL, whose headquarters are within walking distance from Jalan Masjid India, has yet to liaise with traders to discuss safety issues in the area.

Kuala Lumpur mayor Maimunah Mohd Sharif had said that DBKL would cordon off the area affected by the sinkhole.

Rohana said traders had approached the previous mayor several times with a list of complaints about safety in the area, especially in relation to unlicensed traders setting up tents and power cables without permits.

However, according to Rohana, DBKL had only said that it would send an officer to monitor the area.

"What will they tell us if another tragedy occurs? What if the building catches fire and so on?" asked Rohana.

Shaifudeen said the landslide tragedy should wake up the authorities and take proactive measures to prevent worse things from happening in the future.

He said Jalan Masjid India was not only a business and shopping centre, but was also frequented by students of three nearby schools, flat residents and the homeless community.

Shaifudeen also said that complaints and memoranda never received a response.

MalaysiaNow has contacted DBKL for a response to the claims.

'Sinking' roads

It is understood that no scientific or technical study was conducted specifically on Jalan Masjid India after the tragedy.

Some have begun to question whether the nearby River of Life project has affected the safety of Jalan Masjid India.

The massive RM4 billion project to clean up the Klang River's notorious pollution and increase its commercial value, begins at the confluence of the Klang River and the Gombak River near the Masjid India area.

Long-established traders in Jalan Masjid India said they had never had any problems until the project began.

Textile trader Bhavesh M. said the structure of the roads has changed significantly as the tarred roads have been replaced with brick roads as part of the RoL project, which aims to create a pedestrian-friendly environment.

"The River of Life is still new, but you can see for yourself the quality of the roads that were built. Many roads are uneven and sinking.

"They are just waiting for another sinkhole to appear."

Shaifudeen demanded an explanation as to whether the brick roads are suitable for the heavy vehicles plying Jalan Masjid India.

He said the condition of the roads was being affected not only by the use of heavy vehicles but also by flash floods and water logging.

Subsidence and unevenness can be observed at many places on Jalan Masjid India.

However, property owners and traders said they did not want to be seen as pointing fingers.

On the other hand, they hope the recent tragedy will lead to more careful planning in the area, which has become an important cultural centre of the capital.

"Aunty Lakshmi sacrificed her life to open our eyes, so we should not allow her death to go in vain," Bhavesh said.