KUALA LUMPUR: City Hall will spend close to RM500,000 to renovate Keramat Mall in Jalan Datuk Keramat.
Traders at the Keramat market nearby are unhappy with the location of the stalls and the design of the RM70 million mall.
Federal Territories secretary-general Datuk Seri Adnan Md Ikhsan said City Hall was looking for a contractor for the project.
"We are expected to start the renovation work between April and May.
"The basement car park will be converted into a wet market area and the floors above will be allocated to the dry goods traders.
"Mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Phesal Talib met the traders a few month ago. We briefed them on the future development at the old site. We expect the traders to move to the mall by yearend," he said.
Adnan said City Hall would build low-cost housing at the site of the old Keramat wet market.
"We are still discussing the development plans for the area," he said.
Adnan said there were also plans to transform the mall into a Mini Urban Transformation Centre.
He said this after presenting cash prizes and trophies to 23 residents' associations for achieving the Key Performance Index for cleanliness in their neighbourhood.
A total of 84 residents' association and joint management bodies took part in the programme.
The top five winners were Pangsapuri Sri Penara, Perumahan Awam Seri Perak, Menara Seri Jati, Taman LTAT Bukit Jalil and Perumahan Awam Seri Perlis II. Each of them received RM45,000.
The rest of the associations received RM20,000 each.
Adnan also presented RM10,000 to 330 residents' associations for their yearly programmes.