Although the street's name was changed to Jalan Tun Sambanthan some two decades ago, everyone still refers to it by its original name 'Brickfields'.

The area which attracts Indians from every corner for varied activities including shopping and dining has become a recent issue of debate in the community because of the announcement that it will be developed into 'Little India' with a massive facelift.

NONE The unhappiness of the residents and business community alike for the initial transformation of Brickfields was made known recently when about 41 NGOs protested against the conversion of the surrounding streets into one way traffic.

For many years Brickfields was one of the neglected areas in Kuala Lumpur. The pedestrian walks were blocked by goods spread out by shops and petty traders. Restaurants too put up their tables outside their shops protruding into areas meant for public access. And not to forget the haphazard parking of vehicles.

The face of Brickfields also changed in recent years because of the influx of IT professionals and other workers from India who began occupying the residential apartments due to is centralised location, access to public transport and availability of Indian shops nearby. A walk into the Palm Court Apartments in Brickfields will remind us of a typical residential area in Chennai, India.

Brickfields also houses many Hindu temples, some of which have been relocated recently due to development projects. It is also popular for its hawker stalls and road-side petty traders.

The authorities took interest in Brickfields only because of the 'Sentral' project in that area which is now the main transportation hub for Kuala Lumpur. With mammoth buildings and a huge shopping mall, the Sentral project will change the face of Brickfields and this is what is driving the authorities to develop Brickfields so that the areas around Sentral do not become an eyesore for the tourists.

NONE In line with this transformation and to please the Indian community, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak announced that Brickfields will be turned into a 'Little India'.

Since then, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and the Federal Territories Ministry have embarked on the transformation of Brickfields.

The important thing to note is that the transformation is taking place in the name of helping the Indian community and promoting it as 'Little India' but is it really going to help the Indian community in any way in the long run?

Exorbitant rental rates

Although there are many Indian businesses in Brickfields, many of the business properties in that area are not owned by the Indians. The Indian businessmen are merely renting the business premises and many are unable to purchase them due to escalating prices of properties in Brickfields.

NONE The present rental rates are already hefty and businessmen have been complaining that property owners have started to increase the rent further after the announcement that Brickfields will be promoted as 'Little India'.

Some say that Indian businessmen are to be blamed for the rise of rent in Brickfields. This is because when the tenancy of a particular business premise is due for expiry, other Indian businessmen are known to rush in to take over the property with offers of higher rent to the respective property owners. Naturally the owners agree. Aware of the new offers, the existing businesses are forced to succumb to the rental hikes as they don’t want to give up their premises having spent substantial sums on investments and renovations.

The only Indian businesses which are flourishing in Brickfields are owner-occupied businesses as they are not affected by the rental hikes. Therefore, many traders fear that with the conversion of the streets into one way traffic, businesses might drop further, forcing them to close down.

Many Indians outside Brickfields are already avoiding the place as a shopping destination due to the traffic congestion and lack of car parking facilities. The hourly rates of the private parking facilities available there also make it uneconomical for long hours of shopping. Any disorderly parking or parking at unauthorised spots may attract a police or DBKL summons.

There is also a fear among traders that once the mammoth shopping mall next to the Sentral station is completed, it would further affect their business.

What the government should do

If the government is really keen on helping the Indian business community in Brickfields, what the ministry and DBKL should do is to build a huge multi-level Indian trading centre specifically for Indian businesses catering for the needs of the city’s Indian population.

This trading centre should have many small and medium sized shops with reasonable rental rates and should also have a food court selling different varieties of Indian delicacies. The government should retain ownership of these shops without putting them for sale so that the rent could always be controlled at reasonable and consistent rates.

NONE Brickfields still houses many government quarters which have been there for decades but now in dilapidated conditions. Plenty of land could be made available if these government quarters are removed.

For a start, the field located near the old Peking hotel and the adjoining government quarters could be used to build the proposed Indian trading centre. By creating such a trading centre, the sky-rocketing rental rates for business premises around Brickfields could be contained as the traders will have an alternative option to relocate their businesses.

Such a trading centre specifically designated for Indian traders would also cushion out any adverse effects the traders might face due to the emergence of the new shopping mall.

In addition to the trading centre, the authorities should also build a multi-level car park adjoining the trading centre which should charge reasonable parking rates. All the efforts taken to transform Brickfields would not succeed without a proper car park facility being provided in that area.

Only by building a multi-level Indian trading centre in Brickfields, can the area be turned into a true ‘Little India’. This will also show that the government is sincere and truly making efforts to help the Indian business community.

saravanan kl draft plan 220808 02 Since the concept of 1Malaysia was introduced and trumpeted, there has been no real concrete and constructive programmes or plans for the Indian community. Whatever said so far has been mere lip service. There are no initiatives to directly help the Indian business community.

Federal Territories Deputy Minister M Saravanan has taken a special interest in Brickfields and initiated numerous initiatives aimed at transforming the place. He should further continue his commendable job and take the lead in creating the Indian trading centre which would be a real boon to the Indian business community.

If proper initiatives are not taken in Brickfields by the authorities, transforming it into 'Little India' will not bring any benefits to the Indian community.

Instead, it will only end up as an exercise to help the mostly non-Indian property owners in that area to increase the value of their properties and to encourage them to increase the rent further.

R Mutharasan is an observer and writer on Malaysian politics. He is the web-master of www.indiantoday.net and has also authored the book ' Winning Strategies of Anwar Ibrahim '.